Back to the Big City!
by luckygirl13
Summary: When the team goes on a vacation to New York City, what exactly will they find? And will Kate let herself show her roots?
1. Numa Numa!

I"M BACK! HAHAHA! Just as a little summary, this is, of course, another Kate story. It'll a romance, with some old friends and bitter jealousy thrown in, coupled with bad memories! I hope you enjoy, I know I am. :)

And just to go throught the basics, I do NOT own Crossing Jordan.

* * *

_Miiiyaa-heeeeeeeeeeeeee, miiiyaa-hooooooooooooooo, miiiyaa-haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, miiiyaa-haha!_

_Miiiyaa-heeeeeeeeeeeeee, miiiyaa-hooooooooooooooo, miiiyaa- haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, miiiyaa-haha!_

_Miiiyaa-heeeeeeeeeeeeee, miiiyaa-hooooooooooooooo, miiiyaa-haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, miiiyaa-haha!_

_Miiiyaa-heeeeeeeeeeeeee, miiiyaa-hooooooooooooooo, miiiyaa- haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, miiiyaa-haha!_

"NIGEL!!" Kate stormed down the hall into Trace, where the dying-from-laughter Nigel was on Youtube. "TURN THAT CRAP **OFF**!"

_Alo, Salut, sunt eu, un haiduc,_

_Si te rog, iubirea mea, primeste..._

"Kate, you have to come look at this!" He motioned to the video playing. Kate was covering her ears.

"If I look at it will you turn it off?!"

He nodded and she reluctantly walked over and looked at the screen. Unfortunately for her, she did have trouble holding back a smile.

"What is it?!" She was having to yell over the volume and Nigel's laughs. He shrugged.

"I don't know! Just some guy in his bedroom singing this song! I think it's called 'Numa Numa'. You just type in 'numa numa guy' and he's the one in the white shirt, glasses and headphones! I think the little tag under the title says 'numa numa...' and..."

"I don't need directions! Now turn it off!" She yelled even louder. It was almost 11 pm, and he was obviously more of a night person than her. He reluctantly complied and turned his spinning chair so he was facing her.

"Come on, luv. Where's your sense of humor?"

She gave him a moody look.

"Back in my bed where I should be too!"

Nigel shot an "apparently" under his breathe, certainly not loud enough for her to hear it, though. She turned around abruptly and walked to her office, where she emerged a few seconds later with her coat and purse.

"Headed home?"

"That's what I was hoping." She said over her shoulder as she headed for the elevator.

"Night!"

"Night" She grunted. Completely worn out and exhausted, she just wasn't in the mood for talking. The elevator doors whooshed softly and she was alone.

_'Finally.'_ She thought.

XXX

The drive home wasn't uneventful, even with most of the streets inhabiting only a few cars. When she stopped at a red light, Kate rolled down her window and leaned her arm out it. It was a peaceful night, and she savored the silence with the exception of the humming of her Chrysler 300. But before long she heard the blaring of rap and booze. A jacked up mustang full of what Kate recognized through her rearview mirror as wannabe homeboys pulled up next to her. A muscular guy in a black tee and big hat pushed to the side rolled down his window and took a look, noting the curvy figure he could see over her car door.

"Hey baby!" He said overloaded with confidence; or maybe that was vodka? "What's a sexy mama like you with a ride like that doing all by yourself tonight, huh? Why don't you come on over here and let me fix that!" Drunken laughter erupted from the car, and the speaker received a high five. Kate never took her eyes off the traffic light in front of her, her face and eyes steely. A voice came from the back seat of the mustang.

"Hey! Hey, Will! She ain't turning around!"

Will, the original idiot, turned to her again.

"Hey, why are you lookin' over there when you could be lookin' at all the pimps over here?" More laughing and high fives. Kate still couldn't believe that men so stupid were able to dress themselves. The light was unusually long, and she planned to wait it out patiently; but that possibility was blown out the window when Will got out of the mustang.

"Hey! I'm talkin' to you!" He swaggered across, turning more aggressive. Kate was about to flash her badge, but found a far more... interesting solution. He had stopped in a precarious spot in front of the door.

Will knelt down and leaned on her open window, not picking up the fact that the woman he had chosen wasn't about to take any bull. This was probably because Kate seemed to have changed her mind, and now looked more interested.

"Then give me a reason to answer." She said in her best flirty voice, which was rusty but still pretty damn good. He smiled.

"Well, a hot mama like y- mff!" There was a dull click and a smack, and he tumbled over backwards, gasping and clutching his offended guy area. Kate smiled evilly and slammed her door shut again, making sure that they were no scratches from his belt buckle. The light changed to green, and she drove off, letting the idiots watch Will nurse his injury and his pride. He should've been wearing a cup.

XXX

She got home and was ecstatically greeted by Binky, so much so that she played tug-of-war with him even though she was dog tired. (No pun intended.)

Before heading to bed she saw there was a new message on her answering machine. She pressed play and listened. The familiar woman's voice made her smile.

_"He-y, girl! Whatupwhatupwhatup?! Dude, you have GOT to learn to pick up your phone! Anyway, to get to the point; the tournament is in 2 weeks! Can't you take off a little time? I mean, I know that your schedules are strict, and it's a long drive, and everything, but... we need you! Think about it, ok? Call me when you make up your mind."_ The message ended. Kate let her head hang and groaned. She wanted to go, and she felt like she needed to, too, but getting time off on such short notice was next to impossible.

She brought her head up enough to look at the framed team photo on the counter. Next to it was a small plaque boasting '2007 National Women's Champions'. She looked at all the faces, all of her old girl friends. Her eyes stopped at three people in the center, the very middle of which was her.

On her right was Rebecca, the one who had just called her. Blonde hair, blue eyes, 6'1", and lean, she was a natural athlete. She was known for her comedy and seemingly super human hyperness. Never was she above wisecracks and insults, which made her an interesting friend.

On her left was Emileigh, usually just Emi, who was also blonde, 5'8" or 5'9", and a little stockier than Rebecca. She was the calm, cool, and collected one in the trio. That is, unless she gets into one of her moods. If that happens, there's no telling what she would do, except that it'll be crazy and you might die laughing.

Kate smiled. They had been friends since high school, and had stayed in touch ever since. Luckily, they all decided to stay in New York City. Or, at least, had. She was the only one to move away, though neither blamed her for it; she had her reasons.

She picked up the phone and dialed, then pressed it to her ear. A few rings and a sleepy, sarcastic voice answered.

_"You have no sense of timing, do you?"_

"Nice to talk to you too."

_"Haha. You woke me up, so spill. Are you coming or not?"_

"Oh, I'm fine, thanks so much for asking!"

_"Sarcasm helps nothing."_

"That never stops you."

_"Hey, I'm funny when I use sarcasm."_

"Go ahead and keep on thinking that if you want."

_"Fine, I will."_

Kate's heart started to thump just a little faster when she asked her next question.

"So, um... how's Steven?"

_"Oh, he's fine, I guess. I think he misses you."_

Just the statement made Kate feel horrible.

"Why would he miss me?"

_"Well, come on, Kate."_ Rebecca said, trying to be pushy but not too much, _"I think both of you know that you didn't leave on exactly the right terms."_

Kate looked at the ceiling.

"Yeah. I know."

Rebecca knew that her friend didn't want to talk about it anymore, so she steered the conversation back on course.

_"Let's cut to the chase, Kate. Are you going to be at the tournament or not?"_

Kate looked at the picture and trophy before answering.

"You can count on it."


	2. Family Resemblance

Just as another filler-inner, this is set when everyone's still a little hostile to Kate, and vice versa. They just got back from the crash, and Stiles has his work cut out for him.

Also, I'm not going to be updating as fast as my first story, but hopefully that'll mean longer chapters. Please tell me how I'm doing so far!

* * *

"Hey Emmy, have you seen Garrett?"

"Yeah, everyone's in the conference room waiting for you."

"Waiting? I never heard anything about a meeting."

Emmy shrugged.

"Stiles called one."

Kate groaned deeply and continued down the hall. She was only slightly late, but was still in a bad mood, and a visit from Stiles was bound to make it worse. She opened the conference room door and walked in, quickly finding a seat at the table. Everyone was there, and Stiles was standing at the head of the table. Nobody looked happy. Except, of course, for Stiles himself.

"Ah, Kate! So nice of you to join us today." He said like a disappointed parent.

"I never heard about a meeting."

"Well that's not my fault, is it?"

"Actually it's-"

"Ok, let's get this meeting started, shall we?" He cut her off abruptly. Kate seethed and sat back in her chair. "Now, you're all probably wondering why I called you all here on such short notice."

"That's exactly what we're wondering." Bug said in a bored-out-of-my-mind voice.

"Well, I've spoken with the National Association of Medical Examiners, and they've agreed that you all need a vacation!"

There were a few excited (and maybe romantic) looks around the room.

"What do you mean by 'vacation' exactly?" Garrett asked suspiciously, noticing the shrinks devious little smile.

"Well, there is the matter of choosing location..." He pulled an old hat from underneath the table.

"Wait, you mean we have to go on a vacation _together?_" Kate was appalled.

"Yes, Kate. You all are going on a vacation _together_."

"Why?" Lily and Jordan asked together.

"Because you all need bonding time outside of the morgue!"

"And what if we refuse to go?" Woody asked, thinking he found a loophole. Stiles gave him an all knowing look.

"Well, on the account that this will count as a psych exam, I'd say you'd be suspended from your job."

Almost all mouths dropped open. This was dirty. This was blackmail. This was just weird.

"That's just cruel and unusual. Is it even legal?" challenged Nigel.

"Last time I checked, yes." Stiles said with his triumphant smile.

"When are we going?" asked Jordan.

"September 9th."

Kate perked up suddenly.

"That's just short of 2 weeks away!" Nobody really noticed her excitement.

"How long are we staying?" asked Nigel.

"Only a week. Now, Garrett, you have the honor of picking the city out of the hat."

Garrett looked up at the old hat filled with folded pieces of paper. No one saw Kate cross her fingers. Sighing, he reached his hand in and pulled one out, unfolded it and read it out loud.

"New York, New York."

"Yesss!"

Everyone turned around and looked at the excited Kate, who tried to calm herself and returned an embarrassed half smile. Stiles broke the awkward silence.

"Wonderful! We leave in 2 weeks!"

XXX

_Bzzzzzzzzzzz. Bzzzzzzzzzzzz. Bzzzzz-_

"Hello?"

_"He-e-y! Nige! How's it going, mate?"_

"Jake? Hey! I'm good, what about you?"

"Great! You want to know why?"

"Why?"

"The whole team's coming to America!"

Nigel was blown away.

"Bloody hell! Really?"

"Yep! The game's in New York City this year, and guess who has to come and play?!"

"Wait, when is it?"

"September 13th. Can you make it?"

Nigel nearly jumped up and down in excitement.

"Talk about perfect timing! I'll already be there!"

"So that's a yes?"

"Definitely!"

XXX

The two weeks didn't fly by, but it might have gone faster for everyone but Kate if not for the surprise visitor.

"KAAATYY! Where's my little Katy?!" The shrill voice called as soon as the owner stepped off the elevator. Emmy did her best to negotiate.

"Excuse me, ma'am, can I help you?" She said in her most respectable voice, assuming that the woman was grieving. The old lady with short, curly, white hair and a nobly cane stared back at her.

"What do you think I'm yelling for? I'm hear to see my Katy!"

Emmy seemed uncomfortable at the bluntness, but went along as well as possible.

"Ok. Are you here for your granddaughter? Can I get a last name, please?"

The old woman looked like she was about to blow.

"What do you mean, last name?! Isn't that your _job _to know?!"

Emmy was getting frustrated at the old lady. Never had she met anyone so moody and argumentative, but she had to give a little slack since she was grieving. So she just tried to play along.

"Oh. Well, I'll go get her then."

"No, no, no, I'll get her! I think I can find my way around!"

Emmy tried to stop her, but the woman moved far faster than expected and escaped through the big doors. She sighed and gave up, knowing that someone will find her and direct her to her dead granddaughter.

XXX

Lily did a double take when she saw an old lady bulling her way through the morgue. In and out of Trace, the break room, and cold storage, it seemed like she was looking for something; and knew exactly where she was going.

XXX

When Nigel and Bug saw that old lady go through Trace right in front of them, they knew they had seen it all. As they both leaned to see where she was headed, Lily rushed by, directly in the woman's wake. Both quickly followed.

XXX

"What the hell?" Jordan watched Lily, Nigel, and Bug try to chase down an old lady with a cane, which she occasionally seemed to threaten them with. The woman would scurry from room to room, around tables and desks, searching for something. Jordan's heart went out to her, knowing that she must be mourning a loss and searching for her loved one. But she was having trouble suppressing the laugh that was threatening to burst out from the whole scene. She decided to follow, if only for the fun of it.

XXX

"Excuse me! Excuse me, ma'am!" Lily yelled from across the silver table in Autopsy 1, which had a full body bag on it. She had been chasing her for what seemed like eternity, and had picked up the rest of the group on the way. The woman had started to get tired. Hurrying over, she was about to try to steer her out when the woman snapped back her arm.

"Don't touch me, you hooligan! I can walk by myself, and I plan on doing just that!"

Lily tried her best to conceal her shock, but failed.

"Ma'am, let us take you to the family counseling room. We can talk there." Nigel offered.

"What's there to talk about? All I'm doing is looking for my Katy!"

"Is she your daughter, granddaughter...?" asked Bug.

The old woman just through her hands into the air, tired of everyone not knowing anything.

"LOOK! All I want is to see my granddaughter before I leave for my cruise! Is that so hard to understand?!"

Jordan was about to jump in, but was cut off by a voice that came from behind.

"Grams?"

They all turned to see the confused and ecstatic Kate standing in the doorway, dressed for the autopsy she was supposed to start.

"KATY!" Grams yelled excitedly. She ran up to her granddaughter, who she hugged and kissed both cheeks, seemingly a different person than the cranky old hag that she was to the rest.

"Wait, wait, wait! You were the 'Katy' she was talking about?" Nigel said, shocked at a lot of things. Not only did Kate's grandmother act just like her, but _Katy_?

Kate unwrapped herself from the hug.

"Yeah. What's wrong with that?"

Nigel blushed.

"Oh, uh, nothing! Just that... it... well, we... um, I'm just going to shut up now."

Kate gave him a smug little smile, which was copied by Grams.

"Now, if you'll all excuse me, I have to talk with my grandmother."

They turned neatly and walked out. All still in the room were left to ponder over what just happened.

"Talk about family resemblance!" said Nigel. All nodded.


	3. A Little Worrying

Alright! I've been debating with myself on how this story is going to go, and I still haven't decided. :P Please be patient with me! And while I'm asking for favors, can I get at least a few reviews? Pretty please? I just want to know how I'm doing. :)

* * *

"So what made you come to Boston?" Was the first question that Kate asked her grandmother, or Grams, after all of the how-are-you's. They both settled on the couch in Kate's office to catch up.

"Oh, when you told me that you were coming to New York, I knew I'd be on my cruise to the Bahamas at the same time. So I came to see you."

"You didn't have to."

Grams just gave her a winning smile.

"Oh, yes I did. I'm your grandma, and I'm supposed to come and see you."

Kate smiled. She idolized her grandma. Grams was the main reason she became a ME, and was one of her biggest encouragements.

"Well, instead of just sitting here, do you want to help me on a homicide?"

Grams' eyes lit up at the question.

"Ooh, you know there's nothing I'd rather do!"

They hurried off to get her robed and then went to Autopsy 1.

"So what's his story, Katy?" Gram's asked as she looked down on the middle aged man with thinning hair and stab wounds. Kate looked at the clipboard next to him.

"He was found in an alley just north of here. Name's Chapin Grosse. He has 3 kids."

"Tsk, tsk. What a pity." Grams frowned.

Kate looked closer at the wounds on his chest and abdomen. Something wasn't right.

"What do think about the stab wounds? I've never seen anything like them before."

Grams looked close, but didn't say anything. She was studying then meticulously, and Kate knew not to disturb her. Finally, she straightened and gave Kate a knowing look, enjoying the fact that her experience still gave her an advantage over her granddaughter.

"Yes, I know what they are, but I'm not going to tell you." she said with a devious grin.

"What? Come on!"

"Sorry, Katy. But you're going to have to figure it out on your own."

Kate gave her The Look. Grams just returned it. Sighing, Kate went back to studying the body.

"It came from something with a serrated edge, but it looks...curved?"

"M-hm." Grams just stood across the table. "Think about it."

Kate looked even closer, wondering. Finally, the culprit revealed itself.

"Wait... are these marks from a... grapefruit spoon?"

Grams had a sparkle in her eyes when Kate figured it out. Secretly, she could always see herself when she saw Kate working.

"Haha, you got it!"

"Who are you?" Garrett's voice came from the doorway. Grams and Kate turned, surprised. Grams wasted no time to introduce herself.

"I'm Marie Anne Thibodeaux," she stuck her hand out. "Chief Medical Examiner of the New York City Morgue from 1961 to 1988. And you are?"

Garrett shook the offered hand, if a bit reluctantly. He gave Kate a stare before turning back to the new woman.

"Garrett Macy, current Chief ME. I'm sorry, but you have to be authorized to sit in on an autopsy." he said sternly. Grams straightened a bit.

"Oh? And you think I'm not authorized?" She pulled a plastic card out of her pocket. "Just because I do not _work_ at the morgue anymore doesn't mean I don't _help_." She handed the license over, and Garrett studied it. Sure enough, it was up to date and legal. He handed it back, and looked at both of his antagonizers.

"Fine. But only one, and I repeat, _one_ autopsy!"

He turned and walked out. The two left turned to each other.

"Want to help me with a John Doe?"

"Of course!"

XXX

"So why did your grandmother come to visit you?" Nigel asked as he walked into Trace, where Kate was waiting on a test result.

"She's going on a cruise and wanted to see me since she wouldn't be in New York when we're there. I'm glad. She doesn't get out of that morgue enough."

"She works at the morgue in New York?" Nigel was intrigued at discovering part of Kate's history. Kate smiled, suppressing a laugh like she did too often.

"Some people joke that she _founded_ it. You know, she was the first woman ever to be Chief ME."

"Wow. That's pretty cool."

Kate looked deep in thought, then spoke.

"Yeah..."

Nigel saw, but couldn't tell what she was thinking.

"There something you want to talk about, luv?"

Kate snapped out of it, coming back to reality.

"What? Oh, no."

A machine beeped and squeezed out a paper. Kate took it and walked out.

"Bye!" Nigel called after her. She waved a hand over her shoulder, not even looking up from the test result.

XXX

"Why in the world do we have to fly?!" Kate had to practically scream to get Stiles' attention. The airport was packed, with people hustling in and out and everywhere. Kate was used to it, being brought up in New York, but it was still annoying.

"Because you all couldn't take a 9 hour car ride together without killing each other!" He yelled back. Kate wasn't amused.

"Well then we could've driven separately!"

Stiles didn't answer, just walked quickly ahead to have his carry-on checked with the team in tow. Kate was dreading the whole idea of a group vacation, but the prospect of flying terrified her. Was this some kind of sick therapy that Stiles had concocted? She could only guess.

Everyone got their tickets and went to wait for the flight. In the waiting area there were little to no seats, and the ones that were found were given to Jordan and Lily, who played with Maddie until she fell asleep. Everyone else stood, either leaning on what they could find or walking around. Eventually, Nigel noticed someone was missing.

"Hey, where's Kate?" he asked Bug, who was with him at the snack machine.

"I don't know." he answered half mindedly, trying to decide between a Snickers or pretzels.

"Well don't you think we should find out?"

"I'm sure she's fine Nige."

Nigel sighed, knowing how much Bug and Kate disliked each other.

"Never mind, I'll find her."

Nigel walked off, scanning the vast room. He went through rows of chairs, along a wall, and past crowds of people. He finally found her by the huge glass wall that provided soon-to-be passengers a view of the planes and runways. She had her arms folded, and her face was sullen. She had on a white cashmere sweater and jeans, but she still shivered a little. Her eyes followed planes taking off, all the while reminding herself that she would soon be on one, too. Nigel felt for her. He knew that it scared her before, but now, after the crash? She had to be terrified, but was doing all she could to hide it. He walked up and stood beside her, following her gaze out the window.

"What do you want?" she asked tiredly, like she honestly thought he wouldn't have come if he didn't need something. Nigel gave her a curious look and then returned to staring out the window.

"I didn't know where you were."

"So?"

"So, I was worried."

Kate's face showed her confusion.

"Why would you be worried?"

Nigel shrugged.

"I don't know. I mean, I know you don't like flying, and... I was worried."

Kate looked him up and down, finally stopping at his face. He returned a gaze when he felt hers, and she looked away again.

"Thanks, but I'm fine." she said a bit bitterly.

Nigel smiled a little.

"I know."

_"Flight 132 now boarding. All passengers report to the loading station."_ the intercom voice boomed overhead. Kate picked up her bag and started walking toward the loading station, but Nigel stayed where he was. She stopped and turned around when she noticed he wasn't following.

"You coming?"

Nigel just smiled, paused a second longer, and then caught up, walking next to her. But when Kate felt his eyes on her, she stopped and they looked at each other dead center. She never expected it, and would forever deny it if asked, but Kate almost felt something. But what was it? No, she wasn't going to let herself... do what exactly?

Nigel saw her as if for the first time for a few seconds. A beautiful, intelligent woman with one of the strongest wills he had ever seen. All he wanted was to know more about her. Then she opened her mouth.

"What?"

Nigel's thoughts crashed into oblivion. Once again, he saw the rude, rough, and sarcastic Kate he worked with.

"Nothing." he said.

They walked on without another word.


	4. Why?

Hahaaaa! Another chapter! I have to say it was hard to write about being afraid of flying since I love it so much. Anyway, just to let you know now, a lot of the characters in the next chapter are going to be based on (or exact impersonations of) people I know. Please tell me what you think! :)

* * *

As they all waited in line to board the plane, Kate was mentally pep-talking herself forward. She never knew why she was so scared of flying in the first place, but recent events did a hell of a good job of making it worse. She gave her ticket to the attendant, who scanned and returned it with a smile.

"Have a good flight." she said politely.

Kate groaned and walked forward in the long tunnel. Her heart was starting to thump faster and she silently cursed her phobia and Stiles' whole idea. When she got to the entrance of the plane, Kate stopped. She stared into the doorway and then closed her eyes, praying, willing her feet to move forward. But just when she thought she couldn't do it, she felt a hand rest softly on her shoulder, tenderly encouraging her to go. She opened her eyes to find Nigel next to her, almost as if he standing guard. With that simple touch Kate found her strength again and felt herself walking, but made sure that he was behind her the whole way. She was grateful, but her pride made it hard to admit.

After what seemed like eternity of walking down the narrow aisle, she found her seat. Nigel took her bag and put it in the overhead before taking a seat next to her. Then Kate said something very rare for her, or at least in a sincere tone. She didn't look at him, and spoke quietly, as if dreading his response.

"Thank you."

Nigel recognized her honesty, and was little surprised. He didn't really know how to answer. Then came something that she might appreciate-and would probably carry out.

"Don't mention it, luv." he said with a gentle smile.

He watched her try to settle into her seat and close her eyes. Nigel could only guess at why she had been scared of flying before the crash. But what he wanted to know more than that. Why did she always act the way she did? Why did she think that he wouldn't worry if something happened to her? Why wouldn't she trust anyone? And why couldn't she understand when someone showed that they cared?

What kind of life did she have to make her like this?

Nigel didn't believe that anyone was born mean or bitter, but he knew that a lot could seem that way because that was what life had thrown at them. He remembered her mentioning her father, and how he drank. Her face had been so empty when she said it, like she was almost used to it, used to that abuse. It made him sick, the thought of her, as a child, having to go through that. And then her engagements, and how her heart must have been trampled? Unimaginable.

_"Good morning passengers, I will be your Captain today. The skies are clear and wind is low, so we're in for a pleasant flight. Please fashion your seatbelts, we should be arriving in the Big Apple in about an hour." _said the monotoned voice from the tiny speaker. Kate already had her seatbelt on. The plane started to inch backwards, then turned and finally went forward at a crawl. Kate held the armrest in a vice-like grip.

_'Ok, alright. Everything's fine. Nothing's going to happen. It's just an hour, it'll fly by.'_ she felt herself tremble, not at all amused by her accidental pun _'Come on, girl! Get a hold of yourself!'_

The plane got faster and faster as it entered the runway. Kate kept her eyes closed, not daring to look out the window. The roaring in her ears got louder as the plane sped faster, and then she felt it tilt upward. She felt something else, too. It had almost a soothing effect, but she didn't care. All she cared about was getting back on the ground. Within a few minutes the plane leveled.

_"Alrighty, you may now unfasten your seatbelts if you wish and are free to move around the cabin. Thank you for flying Northeast Airlines." _

Kate opened her eyes again, starting to calm down. All of the other passengers were mellow, and even Maddie on Lily's lap behind her was sleeping. She started to wonder about what she had felt during take-off. It seemed familiar, like she had felt it before. But she had been so distracted...

Then she looked down. Once again, Nigel had come to her rescue with a simple touch. His hand was placed protectively over hers.

XXX

Lily had seen the whole thing. She felt sympathetic for Kate. But when she had seen her and Nigel, and how much he cared, Lily struggled to suppress a squeak of pure 'awwwww!'.

"Bug!" Lily whispered, tapping his shoulder.

"Hm?" he mumbled, on the verge of sleep.

"Bug! Wake up!"

"Wha? I'm up, I'm up!" Bug jolted a little out of slumber and groaned. "What's wrong? Why are we whispering?"

"Look!" She pointed between the gap in the seats in front of them, exactly where the armrest was. Bug followed the direction. He squinted his eyes a bit when he saw what she was pointing at, doing a double take. He shot a confused look at Lily, who just smiled and shrugged. She knew nothing. Well, at least not yet.

XXX

Kate was of course the first one of the group off the plane. The landing had been just as bad as the take-off, but at least it was over. After much stretching and adjusting, they headed off to get their bags. Stiles soon got lost in the crowd, and Garrett had to go and redirect him while the rest waited by the bathrooms.

"Hey, Kate?" Woody asked, seemingly a little intimidated by the huge crowds and tight spaces.

"Yeah?" she answered very tiredly, lifting her head from the side of the wall she was leaning against.

"You know where you're going, right?" He motioned in the direction she had been leaing them in. She sighed a little, purely exhausted.

"Yes, Woody. I've been here too many times not to." She returned her head to the wall and closed her eyes. Woody settled back into his seat on the bench next to Jordan. Garrett soon arrived with a very grumpy looking Stiles in tow, so they continued for the baggage claim. Once there, and after much clambering, they were able to get everyone's bags withing half an hour. But right as they were leaving, and object flew overhead; well, not everyone's. The assailing soccer ball thudded off of Kate's head, throwing her off balance enough to make it hilarious. Though everyone tried extremely hard not to laugh, it was like holding back a tsunami. A voice came from somewhere deep in the crowd.

"Dude! And you call _me_ uncoorinated?!"

Everyone thought she would be furious at whoever had thrown it, but Kate was smiling ear to ear. She picked up the ball and quickly spun around, ready to throw. Stiles, who was closest to her, covered his face, thinking she was about to peg him. But when she released, it went over the crowds into a slightly empty area a few yards behind them. The voice came again.

"_MISSED!_"

Kate ran in the direction of the area, but everyone else lost sight of her through the crowds.

"Kate?!" Nigel called over the noise. He followed in her foosteps, and when he came to the clearing he caught a glimpse of Kate running, ecstatic, into a group of people. There was hugging and laughing, and a lot of I-missed-you-so-muchs. He stopped walking and smiled, especially happy to see how excited Kate was when she hugged two other women in the group, both blondes.


	5. Lots of fun

Yes, I know it took awhile for me to update, but it was important to me to get all of the characters right. Hope you tell me what you think.

* * *

Kate ran forward, but before she could get a word in, she was enveloped in more hugs than thought possible. Rebecca, Emi, Donny, Bruce, and even Richard were all there. Rebecca, who had thrown the ball, was overjoyed to have her old friend back. Emi was of course feeling the same, but her mellow demeanor made it less obvious. She and Rebecca balanced each other out perfectly.

"Dude, I missed you!" Rebecca had a habit of starting every sentence with her signature 'dude' when she was excited.

"I missed you too." said Kate, switching from a group hug to a one on one.

"You better have! I mean, where are you gonna find someone to replace _me_?!"

"Why would she want to?" Emiliegh joked with her serious tone, which was soon replaced by laughter.

"Shut up!" Rebecca yelled, laughing too.

Kate smiled and laughed. They hadn't changed a bit.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Donny interrupted the argument, and then turned back to Kate, "Now you know I need another hug!" he said, faking dryness.

"Oh, of course!" Kate wrapped what she could of the big man's 6' 9" frame in another hug. Donny had always been what they all called a snugglebug, loving affection, so his job at the NYC morgue as the grief counselor was perfect. But when he got angry, it was hard to hold him back. He once broke a guy's nose because he got pushy with Kate and Jen at work. He wasn't the smartest man in the world, but he had come, or some say earned the right, to be one Kate's best friends.

"Ok, ok. Now it's my turn! Break it up!" Bruce commanded with his huge smile. Kate switched over with ease. Bruce was a thin, short man, with tight jeans and a pink polo. He was sassy, smart, and girly; and darn proud of it. Bruce was the criminologist at the morgue, mainly because he hated violence and felt that it was the most effective way for him to stop it. Plus, he just flat-out cared.

"Ahem." Emi demanded attention with a playfully serious you-better-get-over-here look. Kate complied graciously. Actually, that described Emi perfectly; playfully serious. After another good hug, Kate realized how much she had missed all of them.

"Hey cus." interrupted her thoughts. She looked for the source of the slightly awkward greeting, her cousin Richard. The pretty boy model may get on her nerves a lot, but he did come to welcome her back. So she gave him an awkward hug, not really enjoying it, though. After parting from him she looked around for two others, but couldn't find them. She could understand Jen and Eli not coming because of work, but she had hoped they would be there. Jen, the CME, was the mother figure of the whole morgue. Kind of like a female version of Garrett, she was protective and probably a little wise beyond her years. Eli was another ME and the brains of the operation. A bit of a classic nerd, he had always been query of relationships with women. Kate had once tried to set him up with Rebecca, but that idea ended with a thoroughly ticked off blonde. Donny saw her disappointed look.

"Jen and Eli went to get coffee. They should be back any minute."

Before Kate could thank him for the explanation, another voice came from behind.

"Any minute my ass. Get over here Kate!"

Kate spun and practically jumped into the waiting hug. Jen had handed the coffee over to Eli, who waited patiently.

"How're you doing?" Jen whispered. Kate felt a little uneasy, but she wouldn't even have spoken about it with anyone else other than Emi and Rebecca.

"Um...I'm good." She tried her hardest to keep smiling.

"Good."

XXX

Everyone filed into several taxies and headed to the hotel Stiles had booked for them, but Kate snuck away from the group and rode with Rebecca and Emi. On the way, it was time for some clarifying.

"So when's the first game?" Kate asked.

"The 13th. We're practicing everyday until then." Rebecca answered.

"Ooh. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to make it everyday. Stiles will probably have us running around all the time."

"Is Stiles the funny looking bald guy?" asked Emi.

"Yeah, and he's even 'funnier' when you start talking to him." Kate said with a smirk.

"Did he make you guys take a plane here?" asked Rebecca. Kate nodded. "Dang!"

There was a bit of a pause before Emi started another conversation.

"So do you like them?"

"Like who?" Kate asked.

"Those people that you work with now! You really didn't seem like you did at the airport."

Kate shrugged a little.

"How can I really like them yet? All we do is fight. They get so annoying when they try to poke their noses into my business! Not that I know why they do it. To them, I'm just a heartless nag with a bad temper. Or at least that's what it feels like." She looked blank when she spoke.

"Look Kate," Rebecca spoke in a semi-serious tone, "you know that you're not the most sensitive person in the world. You know that you're sassy and stubborn and mean, but we know how to handle that. But the thing is that none of them do yet. So give them a chance, ok?"

Kate was reluctant to agree. Emi spoke softly.

"Christine would want you to."

Kate just thought for a moment. She eventually nodded.

XXX

"OK! Gather round everyone!" Stiles called out in the hotel lobby. Once they were all there, he continued. "All right. I have the room keys and there will be 2 to a room."

Kate's jaw mentally dropped, but she didn't complain, trying to stick with the agreement from the taxi ride. Stile's went around the group.

"One for you." he handed a key to Jordan. "One for you." Another key to Lily. "One for you." One to Kate. "And one for myself and Garrett. Now, I'm allowing you to pick your roommate, but it better not come back to bite me in the butt!"

Rebecca, who was standing in the far corner, whispered to Emi next to her.

"Why would anything want to?"

Emi laughed at Rebecca's version of her own joke, but quickly quieted herself when Stiles looked over at them.

The pairings were obvious: Jordan and Woody, Lily and Bug, and, reluctantly, Kate and Nigel. Bug gave Nigel a pat on the back, feigning sympathy and suppressing a laugh. Nigel just groaned, knowing that this was going to be a long week.

XXX

Kate swiped the card and opened the door. To her obvious relief, there were 2 beds. She quickly walked in, with Nigel behind her, and put her bag at the foot of the bed by the window; her territory had been staked. Nigel just laid down on his bed, trying to possibly get some sleep. Meanwhile, Kate changed and freshened up in the bathroom before grabbing her phone and heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" he asked, lifting his head a little. He noted her rather...flirty outfit of heels, tight jeans, and a black top.

"Out." she barked back. She left the room, but didn't get far before bumping into Stiles.

"And where are you going?" he asked. Kate sighed heavily at being asked the same question.

"Out!"

Stiles' parenting look returned.

"Well, if I were you, I wouldn't stay out to long. We have much to do tomorrow." With that he walked back to his room, which was right next door to Kate's. She just shook it off and went downstairs where Rebecca and Emi were still waiting.

"Took you long enough." Rebecca said as they met up.

"There was interference. Let's just go." she answered, just wanting to have some fun. They stopped at the girls' apartments before heading to their favorite club, the Red Gardenia. But, unknown to Kate, she wasn't going to have much fun.


	6. Bar Fights

Well, once again there are some characters from real life introduced in this chapter. I'm not sure exactly where I'm going to go on Kate and Steve's relatioship, but I do have a good idea that you'll just have to keep reading to find out. Thanks so much for all the reviews so far, they really make it worth it to keep writing everyday (yeah, I can be a slow writer compared to some).

* * *

The music was blaring, the drinks were strong, and the bodies were hot. If their was one thing that Kate, Emi, and Rebecca could do together, it was party. Clubbing was their signature activity for Friday nights, and then it was soccer in the morning. But tonight, it was all about welcoming back a long lost partner. Throw in some men for good measure, and you've got a good time.

Even though Kate had been content with dancing and talking at the table with the girls, she didn't turn away the tall, muscular man that asked her to the dance floor. As she playfully waved back to Rebecca and Emi, they cheered her on as any (slightly buzzed) friend would.

"Wooo! You get 'em, girl!" Rebecca yelled. Emi whistled, something she would never do without her daiquiri of choice. With a laugh and a quick step to catch up, Kate soon disappeared into the mass of pulsing bodies.

It got hot out on the floor, to say the least. Kate finally felt herself loosen up, even letting her new guyfriend (Eric) put his hands on her hips. She let herself zone out, just moving to the music; unknowingly blocking off her senses to feel the pair of prying eyes watching intently.

XXX

"Watcha looking at, Steve?" Jensen followed his stare across the room, but didn't find anything of interest. Taking a swig from his beer, he nudged Thomas next to him. "You see anything?"

Thomas leaned in, trying to get as lined up with Steve, who was across the table, as best as he could.

"Nah." He shook his head back at his chubby friend, "Hey Steve! What're you looking at, dummy?"

"Shut up." Steven growled in a calm voice, but his face denoted a more serious frame of mind.

"Oooh, somebody's sensitive tonight!" Thomas teased. He always had lame insults for everyone, but nobody ever took offense. This was new to him, and he wasn't about to stop; he was too immature for that. "Hey! If you're looking at a girl why don't you just go and ask her to dance already?! Or are you just too chicken for that?" He started buck-bucking in his own obnoxious way. Steve just suddenly looked at him.

"You know what, Thomas? For the first time in your life, you're right." While Thomas gave him a weird look, Steve got up and walked with purpose to the dance floor. Both watched him go, but Jensen found his target.

"Ha! Steve is so out of his league. He's going for some hot blonde dancing with a dude that's _ripped!_"

"Which one is she?" Thomas asked, searching. Jensen pointed.

"Right over there. She's got a black shirt on and curly hair."

Thomas squinted.

"You mean the one that looks exactly like Kate if you squint?"

"Dude, what are talking about? She doesn't even-" Both pairs of eyes widened.

"Oh my God!"

"Dude! That IS Kate!"

They leapt to their feet, and apparently too fast. Thomas, being the lanky and clumsy one, tripped over his own feet. Scrambling up and leaving their drinks for the first time that night, he and Jensen ran to catch Steve from making one of the biggest mistakes of his life. But he was only feet away when they were blocked by the crowd.

XXX

Kate was letting it go a little farther than she should have. Eric was getting friskier and kissing her neck. She wasn't fighting it, but she knew that she should. She moaned a little. But then, when she opened her eyes, she saw the last thing she wanted to see. A fist flew forward, hitting the completely unexpecting Eric in the face. Eric fell back, but was no where near unable to fight back. He was up in a flash.

"What the hell man?!" Blood was running from a cut above his eye. Apparently, Eric was not one to fight with his head. He quickly landed a swing on Steve's gut, making him double over. Steve, who for some reason was involved in fist fights more often than not, rallied. With another hit to the face, Eric kept going for the gut. But, while the two men were brawling it out, Kate was searching for an opening. She had been yelling, almost begging them to stop, but nobody listened. Finally, when an opening showed itself, she went for it. Whoever said a girl couldn't hit like a man was proved dead wrong, with Steve taking the brunt of the lesson. He hit the floor hard, out like a light.

XXX

Thomas and Jensen finally showed up, but obviously too late.

"Dude!" they chimed together, looking at Steve on the ground and then at Kate arguing with the 'ripped' guy. Kate spun, getting more and more confused, and angry, by the second.

"Jensen? Thomas?!"

Jensen smiled feebly.

"Hi Kate."

"Having a good time?" Thomas joked. He was such an idiot. Kate never liked Thomas since the first day of high school and didn't let him get away with anything. So by the end of that little conversation, Thomas was massaging the sore spot on his cheek.

Kate was furious. Not only was her night ruined, but now she had a pissed off guy that was nowhere to be seen and another unconscious on the floor. Rebecca and Emi were making their way over there as fast as possible, but it was slow work. With still no back up (though she didn't need it) she turned her let loose her infamous wrath.

"What are you even doing here?! And what the hell's gotten into him?!" she pointed to Steve. Jensen shrugged hurriedly.

"I don't know! I didn't even know you were here until a second ago. I guess he saw you with that guy and got angry. You know how jealous he can get, Kate." Jensen had an almost pleading look, just asking Kate to understand. He had seen how Steve reacted when Kate left, and he knew that it must have killed him to see her like that.

Kate noticed before she answered how little they'd all changed. Jensen was still the more sensitive one, sometimes seeming like a big teddy bear. Thomas was still annoying as crap, but she knew that he didn't mean anything by it; that's just how he acted to everyone. They had been friends for so long. She, Rebecca, and Emi had met the group of boy's in high school when Rebecca kicked Thomas in the nuts first day for continuously pulling her hair.

Then there was Steve. She bent down and got a good look after moving his head out of it's awkward position. He had the same clean cut chocolate hair, same style of jeans and a tight shirt, and the same sculpted chest underneath it. But right as she was about to flash back through fond memories, he saved her some heartache by waking up.

"What the hell?" he moaned. He blinked a few times and sat up, then felt the thin trickle of blood flowing from a cut above his eye. Emi, who had made it to the scene earlier and just pulled away from an argument with Jensen, handed her a handkerchief. Rebecca was currently busy with Thomas, one of her sworn enemies. Kate had calmed down enough by then to find her sensitive side, and started dabbing gently at the cut.

"You ok?" she asked, but still with a little roughness in her tone. Steve winced a little.

"Yeah, I guess. Just wish you didn't wear that ring on your right hand."

"Hm." she mumbled, not amused by the bad attempt at a joke. She had the curse of being able to tell a lot about a person just by looking at them, and what Kate saw in Steve was something that she never wanted to see again.


	7. Always a Dreamer

Thanks for being so patient with the updating. It was a challenging chapter.

* * *

The fear. It was the kind that you only get when you've done something horrible. Kate had seen it too many times not to recognize it, and a tide of bad memories started to swell out of a place in her mind that she had forgotten she had.

"What?" Steve asked nervously, feeling her stare. She quickly snapped out of her trance, tearing her eyes away from the small object of her disgust.

"Nothing."

She stood up and walked away, leaving Steve to pick himself up. She quickly made her way to Rebecca and Emi, interrupting their heated conversation with Thomas and Jensen.

"We need to go." she saw their questioning looks. "Now."

"Are you ok?" Rebecca asked. Kate groaned just a little.

"I'm fine! But I'd like to _leave_!"

"Ok. We can leave." Emi always handled Kate's moodiness calmly. Anything else would just make it worse. They headed for the door, but then Thomas broke in.

"Wait! There's something we need to tell you!"

Jensen hit his shoulder, mouthing 'what are you doing?!'. Thomas gave him the big shrug you do when you're trying to find an excuse and mouthed 'I don't know!'. He never could keep a secret, but it was rare that he spilled because of his conscience. Kate sighed and turned back around.

"What?" she asked bluntly.

"Uhh..." Thomas couldn't get it out, so he passed the question on. "You tell her Jensen." he pushed Jensen forward.

"What? Thomas! I-" he stopped when he saw Kate's angry glare. She knew what they were trying to say.

"Stop. I know that Steve's getting married; I saw the ring on his hand." she stepped up to them, real close to their faces, and narrowing her eyes and speaking darkly. " So do me a favor. Tell the blushing bride that I wish her the best of luck." she turned and spoke without looking back, "She's going to need it."

XXX

It must have been later than she thought, since there was next to no one in the lobby. She took the stairs up to her room on the 3rd floor; exercise helped to blow off steam. By the time she got to her room and was digging her key out of her purse, she'd calmed down considerably; she had taught herself a long time ago how to shut down her emotions. Slowly opening the door, she saw that the lights were off and slipped in quietly. Nigel looked like he had fallen asleep right after she left, not even bothering to get under the covers. Kate went silently over to her bag and threw on her pajamas, crawled in her bed, snuggled up to a big pillow, and stared sleepily out the window.

Even after everything that had just happened, she was still glad to be home. She had missed the sounds of the city that never sleeps outside her window, slowly lulling her. She found sleep quicker than she had in a long time.

Kate dreamed that night, but it was the dream that had driven her away.

XXX

Kate was small, but didn't know why. She looked down at herself and saw the slightly chubby stomach and stout legs from her childhood. She looked around. A cream colored room in an expansive house. Her big bed was in the corner with a pile of stuffed animals stacked neatly on top.

There was voices; angry voices. She knew where they were from, but went to see anyway. Lifting her 8 year old frame off the floor, she walked down the long hall, toward the voices. She remembered the house because she grew up in it. It was big and luxurious, thanks to her father's inheritance. Kate found herself walking down the stairs and into the big living room, where she found her parents. They were fighting over something, but Kate could never figure out what about. The words were all a blur, no meaning escaping other than the dangerous tone. She saw Erica standing in the corner, crying like any little 5 year old would do, and Ben, wrapped in a blanket, watching with fixed eyes with a bottle of formula next to him.

Kate ran to her little sister, who sobbed from fear into her shoulder. Kate scooped her up as best as she could and carried her upstairs to her room. She pushed off the stuffed animals and laid her down softly.

"Stay here, alright?" she asked, barely recognizing her own voice. Erica nodded. Kate walked out quickly and closed the door. When she made it back downstairs, the yelling was still there. But then something worse happened. A loud yell came from her father before the back of his hand hit her mother's face, knocking her back. Kate was horrified.

"Mommy!" she ran to her mother, but was blocked by the most horrible man she had ever seen. Something came from his mouth, but Kate couldn't decipher it. His arm went back and then came down hard. Kate felt like she'd been hit with a bat and fell back, tears running down her face and over the large welt forming. He was still yelling, but Kate bravely got up and ran to Ben. Grabbing him and his bottle, she ran as fast as she could back upstairs. She quickly went into her room and closed the door, and there was silence.

"Kate?" the tiny voice came from behind her. Kate went over to Erica, who was still on the bed, and put Ben down as gently as she could.

"Yeah?" she answered very tiredly, wiping away the remnants of her tears from her cheeks and sniffling a little.

"What's going on?"

Kate crawled into bed and pulled Ben into her arms, where he eagerly sucked at the bottle she offered.

"Kate?"

"Nothing's happening. Go to sleep."

"Why do you have red on your face?"

Kate felt the raised mark on her cheek.

"I fell. Now go to sleep. It'll be better tomorrow."

"But what did-"

"Shhh."

Ben finished the bottle and demanded to be burped with a squeal. Kate did so and then all three laid down, trying to sleep. Ben was the first to go, then Erica, and finally Kate let her exhaustion get the best of her.

But sometime that night, she was woken up by the sound of footsteps close to the bed. Opening her eyes, she found her mother standing over them. She had the same eyes as Kate remembered, as blue as the sky. Her curly blonde hair was tucked behind her ears, and her face was serious.

"Mom? What's-"

"Shhh, baby. It's alright. Now go back to sleep, ok?" she pulled the covers back over her.

"But why do you have a suitcase?"

Her mother's face sunk a little, obviously hoping that she hadn't noticed.

"I'm going on a trip."

"Can we go, too?"

"No, baby. You have to stay here."

"But mom-!"

"No, Kate. You have to stay and take care of your brother and sister." her mother's face turned from stern to pleading underneath the bruise. "Please... just do this for me."

Kate was quiet for a moment.

"Ok."

Her mother hugged her and kissed her forehead one last time. Then, grabbing her bag, she left without a word. After all the time she could bare, Kate threw off the covers and ran to her window. She saw the rain cascading down, as if the world was crying for her. Her mother came into view, dragging her bag and getting into a car. She gave one last look behind her and drove off. Kate could feel the tears again. She whispered quietly.

"Mom... Come back. Please... I can't do this by myself..."

XXX

Kate jolted awake in a cold sweat.

_'Oh, good Lord... not again.' _She sat up and put her head in her hands, sighing deeply. She looked at the clock and groaned to see it was 3am. Stealing a glance over at Nigel, though, she was relieved that he was still fast asleep. Kate quietly and slowly slipped out of bed and went into the bathroom, where she splashed water on her face. After wiping the water off, she took a long look at herself. Her hair was messy and her eyes were tired, but at least the flash back was over.

Turning out the dim light, she walked stealthily to the window. She sat down on the ledge and peered out.

_'I did do it by myself... and I still can, mom.'_


	8. Friendly Trouble

Well, I've been a little slow with updates, but long story short, it's been harder for me to get to the computer. A lot of the stuff in this chapter is real, especially the toothpaste thing. (Some kind of 'friendship class'-don't ask) Anyway, yeah, all of the girl characters are real and I might go into them more. R&R pretty please with sugar on top!

* * *

"Allll righty, children! Time for some bonding!" Groans emanated from around the hotel conference room. Stiles made a face. "Oh, come on now! It'll just be a few simple exercises and then we'll go sightseeing, ok?" More groans.

"It's not going to be that bloody fall-back-and-catch trick, is it?" Nigel asked sarcastically.

"Oooh! I hadn't thought of that. Good work, Nigel! Ok, everyone stand up!"

"What?!" Unanimous. Kate, who had been sitting next to him, punched him on the arm.

"Ow!"

"How about next time you just don't say anything, alright?" she hissed, standing up reluctantly. Nigel just shied away; he knew not to tick her off today. When he woke up she was just staring out the window, like she'd been there all night. He had felt sorry for her, but now her eternally foul mood was getting on his nerves. Nigel stood next to Bug, who nudged him and spoke quietly.

"What's gotten her into an unusually bad mood this morning?"

Nigel shrugged.

"Don't know, mate, but I'm getting tired of it."

Stiles had been explaining the benefits of bonding, but now moved on to the rules.

"Ah, ah, ah! No picking partners! That's _my_ job." Stiles shoved a thumb at himself. "Ok, so Garrett, you will be with... Bug. Jordan, you're with... Kate. Lily and... Woody. And Nigel," Nigel almost winced at the obvious outcome "you will be with me. Alright!" he clapped his hands together "Everyone team up and spread out!"

Sighs and shuffling feet. The pairs stood together, waiting to start the torture process. Jordan, Lily, Bug, and Nigel were to fall first.

"Uh... You're not going to drop me, right?" Jordan asked just a little awkwardly. Kate sighed and rolled her eyes, which she was doing a lot of lately.

"Yes, I'm just going to let you fall and get a concussion." her voice was dry and sarcastic, "Come on, do you honestly think I'd do that?" Jordan shook her head.

The first group stood in front of the others, and on Stiles' signal, fell back. Of course, all the catches were successful, but now it was the other's turn. That was successful as well. Afterwards, Stiles had them all sit back down at the table and pulled an object from his bag. Kate looked at him incredulously.

"Toothpaste?"

Stiles smiled a bit evilly.

"Yes, Kate. A tube of toothpaste."

"And what are we supposed to do with that?" Bug asked, annoyed.

"I'll show you!" Stiles picked up the toothpaste and put a piece of paper on the table. Unscrewing the tube, he squeezed at least a fourth of the paste on the paper and thrust it all over to Bug. "Try to get the toothpaste back into the tube."

"I can't." answered Bug without trying.

"Oh? And why can't you?"

"Well, because the tube is already slightly crushed. You can't make it expand again."

Stiles again had his favorite shrink look, but it was also mixed with a pleased face.

"Ah-ha! It's already crushed! And does anyone know why this is our lesson for today? Hmm?" No on answered for awhile. But eventually, Lily's inner therapist shined through.

"When we yell or fight with each other... we can't really take it back?"

"Exactly! Excellent job, Lily." he turned to the whole group, "Do you all see what she's saying? When something comes out of our mouths, we can't put it back in. And when an insult hits home for someone, we can't take it back out." Everyone still looked bored. Stiles sighed a bit. "Ok, I'll just have to give you an example. Kate, you remember when you did the autopsy for a mummy that was though to be an Egyptian princess?"

"Of course."

"But she wasn't, was she?"

"No." Kate remarked with maybe the slightest hint of remorse. Stiles raised an eyebrow.

"Sad? Understandable. I would be too if I found out that she was just some homeless girl."

Kate bristled.

"She was never 'just some homeless girl'." Her voice was cold, daring Stiles to make another bad move. He stood his ground.

"But my understanding is that she was just that was to you until Bug and Woody ." Kate didn't say anything. "You went to her funeral, didn't you Kate?"

"What if I did?"

"Oh, nothing. But Woody and Bug didn't just say that you were wrong to see her as a nobody, did they?" Again, Kate said nothing. The tension in the room was almost overbearing. "They said that you didn't care about anyone. That you didn't have a heart." There had already been some awkward and surprised looks around the room, and now Bug and Woody shifted uncomfortably. "That hurt, didn't it Kate?"

Kate had been looking at the table, but now she looked Stiles straight in the eye. If she wasn't so angry she might have wondered how he knew all this. It had hurt, but there was no way in hell that she was going to let any of _them_ know.

"I went to her funeral because I felt _sorry_ for her. _Not_ because I was '_hurt_'."

XXX

They were going to the obvious places: Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Central Park, and Grand Central Station. Kate had been checking the time over and over during the visits, and finally found an opening when Stiles announced that they were done for the day.

"Hey, where are you going?" Nigel called after her out of curiosity as she practically ran for a cab. She didn't answer and just drove away.

Once Kate got back to the hotel she ran to her room, changed, grabbed her bag, and ran back down. When she got inside another cab she checked the time; 3:26.

_'Damn it. I hate being late!'_

She made it to the Chelsea Piers Field House within a few minutes, and after paying the driver, ran inside while pulling her shin guards on. It was an indoor soccer field with fake grass and everything else. Through the stands and chairs she could easily see the field and teams of women warming up. 16 in all, they were a close knit group with a mix of all personalities. Kate was greeted enthusiastically, to say the least.

"Kate!"

"Finally!"

"Now we've our secret weapon back!"

"Yeah, old K.A.K."

Kate recognized the voices, but couldn't pinpoint them all.

"It's good to see you too, guys." she answered with a smile. Rebecca and Emi were standing next to her, and eventually caught her attention.

"DUDE! You're never going to believe who we're playing for the finals!"

"Who?"

"The Jets!" Emi said, exasperated.

"What?! How did they get into the finals?!"

"The other team forfeited."

"Oh my God..."

Natalie, a short, sometimes bipolar, redhead broke in.

"Hey! Stop complaining! It's fickin' annoying!"

"Talie, shut up." said Katy, who, even though had a name similar to Kate's, was much different. Straight brown hair and a talented dancer, she and Natalie was inseparable, and was the only one allowed to call her Talie.

"You shut up!" They continued to fight as some hugs were passed around. Payton, short and blonde with a soft smile; Abby, thin and quick with a thick head of brown hair; Erica B. (not Kate's sister) with her forever bubbly attitude; Caitlin, tall and blonde with an unusually high threshold for pain; Amber, the smallest and only other redhead; and Alexis, fit and mellow, just to name a few.

"Ok!" Kate had to yell to break the fighting duo up. "Time to get back to business. The game is in 4 days and I am _not_ going to lose to Cassandra!" The fight stopped and the team went back to practicing, all thankful to have one of their star players back.

XXX

Nigel, who was sitting on a bench at the park, felt his phone vibrate. The screen showed it was a long distance call.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Nigel." a sullen voice answered.

"Luke? Hey, mate! Why do you sound so down?"

Luke gave a long, heavy sigh; he didn't like what he was about to do.

"Listen. There was an accident."

Nigel grew more serious.

"Is everyone ok?"

"Jake was in a car crash, Nigel... he's in a coma."


	9. The Rain Comes Down

This chapter was kind of inspired by someone close to me. Also, it's been raining a LOT down here in ! Definitely one of my deeper chapters. Enjoy.

* * *

Kate was in one of those rare, surprising, bubbly, kind of out of nowhere... anyway, she was in a great mood. She had reunited with her team and totally exiled Steve from heart and mind, and was now making her way up to her room for a long shower. Swiping the card and walking in, she saw that Nigel wasn't there. Kate threw her stuff on her bed and went towards the bathroom, but went into reverse when she noticed a sticky note on the small desk. Cocking her head to the side with curiosity, she picked it up and read it out loud.

"Went to the park. Should be back by 5. Nigel." Kate wondered why he would leave a note, but didn't give it a second thought. She grunted a "Hm.", went into the bathroom, and took her well deserved shower.

She finished, got out, and blow dried her hair. Putting on jeans and a T-shirt, she went to get a glass of water and then snuggle into the soft comfort of her pillows for the night, but was stopped by a feeling she rarely experienced.

It was 6 o'clock and Nigel hadn't returned.

_'He's fine. Just late.'_

But the little pang of worry was still there. But why? She had no reason to be concerned whatsoever about him. She had a conscience, but that didn't mean that she _listened_ to it.

_'I do NOT need to look for him. He can take care of himself.'_

She threw herself on her bed out of defiance for her new antagonist and flipped on the TV, but her thoughts kept going back to wondering if something had happened, if he was alright. Sighing, rolling her eyes, and blurting "Screw it." to the ceiling, Kate dragged herself out of the bed and slipped on shoes. She grabbed her purse and was off to catch a cab to the park.

XXX

"That'll be $11.50." the gruff voice of the driver barked out. Kate handed him the money and got out without a "thank you" exchanged. She walked grudgingly along the path, hunting for the lanky figure that had caused her to come.

The search wasn't a short one, but was made less unbearably boring by the park itself. The leaves on the trees seemed to tingle on their branches, and Kate was almost soothed by the melody. Then she saw the familiar, lanky figure she had been hunting for out of the corner of her eye. He was just sitting on a bench, doing nothing, just staring into space. Kate resumed her huffy attitude as she marched over.

"Have you been sitting here all this time?" she asked, maybe just a little meanly. Nigel looked up at her vaguely, not really caring what she said to him. "You could've told me that you'd be so long! I just searched the whole park and-" Kate stopped in mid sentence. Nigel had been crying. Her face softened. "Nigel?"

Nigel looked like he wasn't going to answer, but did for some reason.

"What do you need, Kate?"

Kate was taken a little aback. She would never have expected him to throw out the same line that she did at the airport. She stood there very uncomfortably, something deep inside her telling her to do something, anything. It seemed like eternity before she worked up the nerve to try.

XXX

Nigel couldn't believe it. Jake, one of his best friends, was in a coma, and now Kate had decided to yell at him for staying out later than originally thought. He never asked her to come looking for him. He never said she had to worry. He saw her just stand there for awhile, and soon became aware that tears had fallen from his own eyes, so he gently wiped them off.

But then Kate did something peculiar. Taking a few quiet steps, she gently sat down next to him. He looked at her just a little quizzically; her eyes were softer than usual. Then, slowly reaching over, she put her hand on top of his. Nigel felt how awkward it was for her. He squeezed her hand gently, taking the rare comfort she was offering.

XXX

Kate didn't know what the consequences of her actions would be. It had been a long time since she had to console someone outside of the morgue. It felt so foreign, almost scary, to be giving something that she had always refused to receive herself. But she knew that Nigel needed it now, and she just hoped that he knew she was trying.

XXX

Not much else happened that day besides Nigel making the hard decision, with the encouragement of the rest of his rugby team in England, not to leave and see Jake. Everyone was sympathetic, even if Kate didn't show it much, and Lily, some aid from Stiles, helped Nigel cope.

It was the tenth of September, and the world seemed angry, blowing out winds and spitting rain, with the crashing, iridescent bolts of lightning accompanied with booming thunder. Everyone but a few souls hid within themselves. Those who didn't, the ones that found the rain and the chaos cleansing, were confined to staring out windows. This didn't usually include Kate, but it did then. Weather this bad meant no planes could be flying over New York City.

But it did something else for her, too. It made her remember someone that had always, even in the short time she knew the person, seen beauty in the clouds and puddles. Her face had never portrayed any awe or desire, nor did it portray anything when she was thinking. Her eyes had always been empty when she saw something beautiful, like they were traveling somewhere inside herself, sifting through her past, future, or imagination. She was a unique friend to Kate, even if she wasn't the closest. Sometimes she was a regular friend that she could laugh with, but she was mostly a loud voice of reason, a quiet consoler and the deepest of thinkers. When she wasn't within her own mind, she was a loud, in-your-face, fighter and didn't take any crap.

Kate first met Christine in a subway station. Her brother, Ben, had just been engaged to a woman named Sophie, a match that Kate highly approved. All three were going across town for dinner, and wanted to show Sophie, an Illinois native, the subways. The meeting was chance and simple. Sophie tripped and Christine, whom she was very close to, was able to catch her before she hit the ground. The group chatted a bit after that, but didn't learn much about the stranger with wavy brown hair except her name.

A week later though, after the announcement of a pregnancy, Ben became the overly protective father that he still was and named their unborn child, or one of them as it turned out, after that woman who saved them in the subway from a very premature death. Kate and Sophie laughed, but went along with it.

Their next meeting was also a chance encounter, finding that Kate and Christine shared a favorite coffee shop. They talked a bit more and numbers were exchanged, and soon the obvious loner was showing up to every one of Kate's soccer games and striking up friendships with most of the team.

Christine never stayed in one place for long and would leave for months on end without any word of where she was. It was her way of escaping the world, but she would always come back and when asked "Where've you been?" she would just shrug and say "Places." Not much at all was known by anyone about her past, except her proudly displayed French ancestry from her omnipresent sliver fleur-de-li necklace.

She had been gone now for 2 years, last seen when Kate's team won the championship game. But this time was different. Everyone said that the amount of blood at the scene was to great for her to have survived. But they never found her body. Kate knew that she was still out there somewhere, and everyone else had given up trying to tell her otherwise.


	10. Mourning

I am sooo sorry that I kept you all waiting for over a week! I've been so busy lately with parties (3) and projects (3) and finally graduation from 8th grade! Class of 2009!

I did just make some itty bitty changes, just to let you all know. I won't be able to update with a new chapter for at least a week since I'm going on a family vacation that I'm dreading. Leaving Saturday and back by Friday. Fun. :(

This should be one of the last deep chapters. It's been hard to write them. Thanks for all the reviews and please continue!

* * *

24 presumed 2974 confirmed 19 hijackers. 1 from dust exposure

XXX

Kate paced in her apartment. She just couldn't figure out this case. It was her day off and only 8:30ish, but she still couldn't get it off her mind. Getting a cup of coffee and sitting on her windowsill, she watched the cars and planes.

"I need to get a dog." she said to herself. Minutes passed and her eyes focused a single airplane flying unusually low in the distance. Her curiosity was stirred by it, but that soon transformed into horror. She ran to her phone and ripped it off the wall, running back to the window and dialing at the same time. It rang once, and a chipper voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Rebecca! Get everyone the hell out of there NOW!"

"What's going o-"

"I SAID NOW!"

Rebecca ran out of her office, phone still in hand. She trusted Kate too much not to do as she said. Bulling into another small office, she yelled.

"Emileigh! We're leaving! NOW!"

"What-" Emi was sitting at her desk.

"NOW!"

Emi also dropped everything and ran. While they were headed for other offices, she threw down the fire alarm. It seemed like only seconds until floods of people packed the staircases.

XXX

The collision dragged on in slow motion for Kate. The fire and smoke overwhelmed her even though it couldn't physically touch her. She saw people scattering, and as she ran down to the street she prayed; she prayed for her friends, for her family, and for the strangers.

When she got to the street there was only chaos. She pushed through the torrent of bodies running in the opposite direction, trying to get somewhere where she could help.

Then the other plane came.

The dust was hard to fight, strangling anyone in it's range. The world went silent to the lone woman running against the flow. The screams disappeared and the sirens were gone. All Kate could hear was herself yelling out names of those she knew had been inside.

"REBECCA!... EMILEIGH!... JOSH!... KAREN!..." she dropped to her knees, choking on dust and sobs. But somehow a small yell penetrated her silent wall.

"Kate!"

Kate's head went up and her eyes searched franticly. Out in the distance, a pair of terrified and dusty women were running toward her. Kate could only manage to yell once more and run to them one more time.

The sobs tore loose from her restraints when they finally met, their arms wrapped around each other for dear life. Nothing could break them apart now.

XXX

Kate's mind slowly came out of the long flashback which in reality was only seconds. She was still looking out the window, but not looking at all. It was almost 6 in the morning, but she knew that the sun wasn't going to show itself today; the rain had never stopped.

She didn't know what exactly she was doing, but she could tell that she was going somewhere. Kate felt herself leave the hotel and hail a lonely cab on the street. The short drive was unbearable. When she finally got to Ground Zero, she let her legs tell her where to go and walked aimlessly before reaching the edge of the South Tower and eventually moved on to the North. The seemingly bottomless holes were dark and cold, and the memories of the horrid days at the morgue came flooding back. She didn't leave that building for eleven days, and when she did, it was on a stretcher.

Kate was soaked to the bone, but she didn't care. She stumbled away, into the trees, still in a daze. She finally fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around herself and leaning her shoulder against a trunk. The tears came then; they came because now no one would be able to see her cry through the rain on her face.

XXX

"Jordan!" Nigel called. Jordan, who was walking down the hall to her room, stopped and turned.

"Hey!" she said with a smile. But Nigel was more serious.

"Have you seen Kate anywhere, luv?" he asked when he caught up with her. Jordan shook her head.

"No, why?"

Nigel looked very disappointed as he answered.

"Damn... Well I woke up this morning and she wasn't in the room. No note or anything." Nigel rubbed the back of his neck. Jordan was sympathetic, but didn't have any idea where Kate was at that early hour.

"Look Nige, it's 7 am. She's probably out getting coffee or something. Besides, she can take care of herself. This is where she grew up, remember?"

"I guess." It didn't make him feel much better, but Nigel knew she was probably right. "I just wish she had told me where she was going."

A sleepy yet somehow perky voice answered from a few feet away.

"Well, she's probably miserable right now, so cut her a little bit of slack today." Lily said as she walked up to them. Jordan and Nigel gave her curious looks.

"Why would she be miserable?" Jordan asked. Lily looked just a bit surprised that they didn't know.

"Well, come on, it's September 11th. She must be having a hard time." she said gravely. Realization covered both of their faces.

"Poor Kate." Nigel whispered to himself, his heart going out to her.

"Did you try calling her cell phone?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, but she left it here."

"If you're really worried, maybe you could try calling her friends. Maybe she's somewhere with them."

Nigel thought for a second. It felt extremely uncomfortable calling anyone

"Maybe."

XXX

He tried everyone. All of the people from the airport, even some that he didn't recognize, they all either didn't pick up or hadn't seen her, but, for some odd reason, nobody seemed concerned. They all reacted nonchalantly, as if it was no surprise. Nigel was worried, though. He had even checked all of the obvious spots- Statue of Liberty, Central Park, even Ground Zero- but she was anywhere.

Nigel was just returning to the hotel when he saw familiar faces headed for the elevator. Emi and Rebecca, two people he had remembered and called but hadn't picked up, stopped when he called their names. They both looked tired.

"Who are you?" Rebecca asked.

"Nigel Townsend." he shook their hands politely, "I work with Kate."

"Oh yeah, she told us about you." said Emi nondescriptly. Nigel was curious about that, but didn't ask what she had said.

"Um, have either of you seen Kate today? Or even heard from her?"

They shook their heads.

"No, why?" asked Rebecca. She didn't look as concerned as Nigel felt she should be.

"Well I haven't seen her since last night."

"And?"

Nigel got a little aggravated.

"And I'm concerned!"

Emileigh sighed deeply; she could explain this better than Rebecca.

"Listen, Nigel, Kate's not the kind of person to let other people know what's wrong, to let her feelings show. She sees that as weakness. And ever since 9/11, she always disappears on the same day. Everyone had ideas on where she could be, but nobody tries to find her because they know that she needs to be alone. Can you understand that?"

Nigel nodded softly. That little bit of explanation helped him a lot. But a question did pop into his head.

"But if you knew that she would be gone, why did you come to the hotel?"

Both looked a little embarrassed, like they were caught in a silly game.

"We always check. Even though she's always gone." Rebecca said softly.

XXX

It had stopped pouring rain, but the little specks of water fell slowly, making heavy mist in the wooded area Kate was walking in. It was a good distance from the city, but it felt like a universe away. This is where Christine called home when she wasn't away. A relatively large house sat on the edge of the woods, now closed up and empty.

Kate hadn't gone in the house, but passed by it on her way to the trees. After only a short walk, she came up unto a small ledge looking over a small stream. There, implanted into the rock, was a metal cross. It served as a tombstone, even though there was no body lying underneath it.

Kate stayed there for awhile, remembering. Then she turned back; her day of mourning was over.


	11. Meeting the Team

WOOOOOOO! (that's a sigh) Don't get me wrong, I love my Louisiana family, but a week in a condo on a beach with no cellphone reception and my sister with her boyfriend the whole time can really drive me nuts. I have to admit though, my uncle Oniel is one of the best cooks ever! Well, since it took so long for me to get this chapter up, I made it a little longer. Please review!

* * *

Nigel sighed. He had given up looking for Kate after talking to Rebecca and Emiliegh, but had taken a walk to clear his head. During the walk he realized a few things: he hadn't heard from his friends back in England that day, he had barely talked to any of his friends here, and that he needed to get a grip. He had been so busy, so obsessed with finding Kate, and yet he didn't know for sure why it was with such vigor.

Getting off the elevator and walking to his room, Nigel slid the key across and opened the door. But he didn't remember turning the lights off when he left. The soft glow of the night from the window illuminated the room just enough to allow him to see a figure laying on the far bed. With a curious and relieved face, he walked softly over and looked closer.

She was sleeping, laying on her side on top of the sheets. Her haired was messy and she was still fully dressed, and it looked like she had collapsed there as soon as she walked in. Her face practically told a story of a restless day, which was now over and done. She was finally relaxed for the first time in a long while.

So Nigel just sat down and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. He stayed and switched between watching her and the world outside for a long time, every time looking back reassuring himself that she was ok.

XXX

Kate felt herself waking up, but didn't open her eyes. She laid there for who knows how long, and then noticed the blanket on top of her that she didn't remember putting on herself. She finally opened her eyes and stretched, propped herself up and looked around. Nigel was laying on the bed, but not _his_ bed. Kate was obviously surprised and immediately felt uncomfortable. She wriggled out of bed, but apparently not quietly enough because Nigel stirred and flicked open his eyes.

"Mm...Good morning, luv." he said as he sat up and yawned.

"Um... morning, Nigel." Kate quickly went to the sink just outside the bathroom, mainly to avoid an awkward moment, and splashed water on her face. When she looked in the mirror, there was a small scratch just above her left eye that she didn't know the origins of. As she examined it, Nigel talked to her from the bedroom.

"You were really out last night, luv. Didn't even wake up when I took your shoes off."

Kate looked down and noticed her bare feet for the first time. She didn't know what to say or how to answer for fear of him asking where she had been.

"How long was I sleeping?"

"Well I got back around 10 last night, and it's noon now."

She wondered why Nigel was so unquestioning. It was nice, but it still kept her on her toes.

"Wait, it's 12 o'clock?" she poked her head around the wall to look at him.

"Actually," Nigel looked at his watch "it's 12:07. Why?"

"Frick!" Kate started running around between the bathroom and her suitcase, picking up and throwing down things.

"What's wrong?" Nigel asked, watching.

"I'm late!"

"Late for what?" Nigel's question was answered when Kate dropped her shin guards. His eyebrows went up about ten feet. "Oooooohhhh! So that's where you've been running off to after meetings! You're on a soccer team!"

Kate sighed very quickly.

"Yes, ok? I'm on a soccer team!"

"Well what's it called? Do you have a game soon?" Nigel's eyes lit up a bit. "_That's_ why you were so excited to be coming here this particular week! You have a game!"

Kate rolled her eyes.

"Sherlock Holmes would be proud." dripping sarcasm. She got her sports bag and ran out of the room, with Nigel close behind. When she got on the elevator, Nigel stuck his hand in just as the door was about to close.

"What are you doing?!"

Nigel gave her an evil smile.

"Following you, of course!"

When the doors opened in the lobby, Kate was shooting out threats like there was no tomorrow. Nigel still followed as she went through the revolving door.

"TAXI!" she yelled, and a car immediately pulled up. "The Chelsea Piers Field House!" she said as she got in. Nigel, of course, slithered in next to her before she could close the door. "What the hell?!" Kate yelled as the driver sped off.

"What, I'm not allowed to meet your team?"

"No!" she yelled, bristling. Nigel's plan to annoy her was working, as most of them did. It was one of his favorite hobbies, and, even though she didn't know it, she owed him for the night before. He had a smug smile as she continued to yell at him and then sank back into her seat, seething.

The cab arrived and Nigel payed the driver, to the further annoyance of Kate for some reason. As she ran inside, Nigel took his time and walked.

XXX

"Dude! Where have you been?! Practice started an hour ago!"

"I know! I slept in on accident. Let's just get started." Kate didn't know where Nigel was, but since she didn't see him, she assumed he went back to the hotel.

They started their drills, with everyone taking their place. Erica B. as Goalie, Kate as Forward, and Rebecca and Emi and the Sweeper and Stopper, for example. The drill was actually a scrimmage against a team that hadn't qualified for the finals. But some enough, Kate noticed some of her teammates whispering and giggling. Then they seemed to be playing and running even harder, as if there was someone to be showing off to. Kate soon found out why.

They took a time out after about half an hour. While Kate was getting a drink from the cooler, she overheard bits and pieces of a conversation between Abby and Caitlin.

"But do you know who...?"

"No! I've never..."

"...why is he here?"

"I don't know...!"

"He's so..."

"... I know!"

_This_ caught Kate's attention. She slid across the bench towards them.

"What're you girls talking about?"

They both looked excited to spread on gossip.

"You mean you haven't see him?" Abby squawked. It's not that she actually made that kind of noise, it's just that that's the best way to describe her voice.

"Seen who?"

"The tall guy who's been watching the game!" said Caitlin.

Kate's attitude went sour, and both girls noticed.

"Where?" she asked slowly, dangerously.

Abby pointed behind her.

"On the bleachers right behind us."

Kate spun. But there was no Nigel.

"Where did he go?!"

Erica walked up as Kate was looking for him.

"Oh my gosh, Kate! He's adorable! Where'd you dig him up? And the accent!" Erica liked to talk fast, and it all came out in a rush. Kate looked past her and saw Nigel talking with almost the whole team. She was ready to explode; and just might, too.

"NIGEL!" Kate was bulling over to where everyone was congregating around the new comer.

"Kate! So glad I could come, luv!"

The girls squealed at the mention of "love".

"Why are you here?!"

"Well, to see you in action of course! Getting to know all of your lovely friends is just a plus."

Giggles all around.

"Kate! Why didn't you bring him earlier? He's such a gentleman!" Payton crooned. Nigel was just soaking up the attention. Only a few women weren't crowded around him, sitting on the bench casually. One of which was Julia, recently married, a muscular player with a fading Russian accent who was one of the strongest women Kate had ever met, physically and emotionally. She walked up nonchalantly and patted Kate's shoulder.

"Good luck. I have to go, forgot I had a date tonight with Rick." She walked out.

That had given Kate just enough of a distraction for Nigel to sneak up behind her. He suddenly threw an arm around her shoulders, making her jump.

"So, Kate! Everyone tells me that you're going against your arch rivals the Jets tomorrow for the championship. How exciting! The whole gang will have a blast." Nigel was obviously having an awesome day. Kate wriggled free.

"No! None of you are coming!"

A barrage of protests came from the girls.

"Oh, come on Kate!"

"Let 'em come!"

"How can you resist that face?"

"You have to show them K.A.K.!"

Nigel was curious.

"What's K.A.K., luv?" More squeals and Rebecca answered proudly.

"It's the nickname we gave her. Kick Ass Kate."

This was too good for Nigel.

"Oh, _really_? I'm going to have to remember that one." he checked his watch, "Ooh, Kate, we've got to go. There's a meeting back at the hotel in half an hour. I guess I forgot to tell you!" He grabbed her bag, and with a flashy bow to his new female friends, walked towards the door.

"Wait... What? Get back here!" Kate chased after him as her team cheered them on as if they were newly weds.


	12. All Here

HEEEYYYYYY! I actually got it inside a week this time! And it's a bit longer! Yaayyy! It is sooo hard writing about Stiles because I guess it's just hard to describe him. Anyway, definitely a cliffy ending mainly because I couldn't think of anything else to write. Please review!

* * *

"What the hell was that all about?!"

"What? I was just getting to know some of your friends, luv."

"First of all, stop calling me that! And second, you can't just walk into our practices! The finals are tomorrow and we needed to practice!"

"I didn't think I was making an impact." he said simply. Kate sat back in her seat in the cab moodily.

"Well, you did. You should've seen the looks you were getting." Kate said the last sentence under her breath, disliking it. Nigel had another evil look.

"Sounds like someone's jealous." he said in a singsong voice. Kate's mouth dropped in the way that only happens when the person is angry.

"I am _not _jealous! Why in the _world _would I be?!"

"Well, these devilish good looks can only go around so far, luv."

"Oooh, is that it? Well I think I'll pass on my portion, thank you!"

"What's with all the defensiveness, luv?"

"I told you to stop calling me that and I am not being defensive!"

"I think you are."

"Well I think I'm not."

They glared at each other, Kate with her death stare and Nigel with his stubborn one.

"Hey! We're here, now who's gonna pay me?!" The cab driver broke the silence, and Kate shoved him the money before Nigel could. She smiled smugly, got out, and walked away. Before Nigel slid out, the driver pointed over at her.

"Huh. Now that's a lady you're gonna want to keep and eye on, bud."

Nigel blew off the advice and got out.

"It's not like that, mate." He shut the door. The driver watched him hold the swinging door for her when the revolving one didn't work.

"Lucky bastard!" he muttered and drove off.

XXX

"Will you hurry up?"

"Oh, so now you're waiting for me, luv?"

"Let's just say that I don't want to be in a conference room alone with Stiles."

"Well who knows luv, maybe he'd finally be able to get inside that twisted mind of yours."

"What did I tell you about calling me that?"

They walked into the room, where no one was there but Stiles. Kate looked peeved and confused.

"Uh... There is supposed to be a meeting today, isn't there?"

Stiles was sitting at the head of the long table with his famous smile plastered on. He got up and spoke as he walked to the door, shutting it.

"Of course, of course. But it just so happens that the meeting is for you two."

"_What_?" Stiles, once again, was able to tick Kate off; not that her day had been wonderful already.

"Please, sit down. The quicker we start the sooner we finish."

Kate huffed and sat down angrily while Nigel sighed and followed.

"How long is this going to be?" he asked.

"Shouldn't be very long. Why do you ask, Nigel? Something on your agenda?"

"No, just wondering."

Stiles looked playfully suspicious.

"So Nigel, why don't you tell me about something that's happened since we got here?"

Kate looked at Nigel, wondering if he was going to say anything about his friend, which she could only guess at. Nigel talked casually and with a smile.

"Well, I discovered a little secret of Kate's. Turns out we've had a champion soccer player in our midst." He smiled widely at Kate, who rolled her eyes in frustration.

"Is that so?"

"Oh, and I got to..." Nigel started, but then his phone started to buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out and checked the caller id. His face went serious. "Um, excuse me, but I need to take this." He got up and walked out of the room quickly.

The silence left was deafening. Stiles was sitting at one end of the table and Kate at the other, and the distance between was more than physical. She never liked him, mainly because of his attitude, how it was the exact opposite of hers. He liked to make you think that he knew everything, and, right now, he had all the power.

"You don't like psych exams, do you?" he said in his shrink tone.

"No." she answered flatly.

"Could that be because you don't like being probed..." he leaned forward a bit, "or are you afraid that I'll find something wrong?"

One of Kate's eyebrows went up like it did when she heard something crazy.

"Wrong?"

"Let's talk about something personal, shall we? Maybe that'll get your memories flowing." he waited while Kate continued to look nonchalant, "Any suggestions?" she shook her head, "How about 9/11, then?"

Kate's mask didn't fall off, but it flickered. Stiles knew he hit a sore spot, and that was just what he wanted. She quickly regained her composure.

"Fine. What do you want to talk about?" she spoke with a bit of hostility. Stiles tucked his chin into his chest and raised his eyebrows, becoming serious.

"I've spoken to a few of your former coworkers, Kate, and by what they've told me, I understand that you saw it happen. That must have been emotional."

"Of course it was emotional. It would've been for anyone."

"But you took it pretty hard, didn't you? How many people did you know that were in the Towers?"

"Five."

Kate's bluntness and flat expression was worrisome for Stiles.

"And how many made it out?"

She took a little longer with her answer this time.

"Two."

"I'm sorry."

She looked down at the table for a second.

"Yeah. So am I."

He gave her a minute before he carried on.

"You didn't leave that morgue for over 11 days, Kate. And when you finally did, it was on a stretcher."

"I should've longer. There were still more bodies coming in." Her shell was starting to break, the memories were too strong.

"Kate, you collapsed from exhaustion. You were anemic, dehydrated, and weak. They had to take you to the hospital."

Stiles' main objection for his one-on-one with Kate wasn't to see if she was fit to work at a morgue, but to try to take away some of the guilt that he knew she had been carrying.

"I know. But it still hurts."

XXX

Nigel had gone around the hall for the call from Luke. He pressed Talk anxiously.

"Luke?"

"He woke up, Nigel! He woke up!"

Nigel let out one of the biggest sighs of his life; Jake was alive.

"I don't think I've ever heard you happier, mate!"

They talked more, with Luke explaining the details. Jake was going to be fine, but he didn't remember anything from the crash and he still had serious injuries. Nigel was sad to hear that he probably won't be able to play rugby again, but was still happy with the news. After about 20 minutes he hung up and headed back in the room, where the whole mood had changed.

Kate had her head slightly down, staring at the table in front of her, and Stiles looked sympathetic, but triumphant. Nigel sat down and put his hand on Kate's back.

"Kate, are you ok?"

It was still so weird for him to see her in anything but her normal crabbiness. She cleared her throat and lifter her head.

"I'm fine."

"How was your phone call, Nigel?" Stiles asked. Nigel gave him a smile.

"Great, actually. Everything's fine."

Kate looked at him and saw how relieved he was, which made her feel a little better too. Stiles continued.

"There's one more thing that I'd like to talk to both of you about."

"Ok, what?" Kate was starting to get impatient again.

"Well, the most obvious subject would be the crash."

Kate rolled her eyes and Nigel groaned.

"We've been over this already! Several times!"

"I realize that Nigel, but I want to go over it again. Now, why don't we start at the beginning? The plane was hitting a lot of turbulence, and Kate revealed that she's afraid of flying. So tell me what you two did once the plane started to go down."

"Um... Well, Kate was scared so I tried to tell her that we could fly on one engine but... then we went down." Kate shivered a little, "And then I remember Woody and my arm was broken." He rubbed his arm gently.

"Kate?"

"When we hit the ground my seatbelt came off. It felt like something pushed me back, and I guess when I hit the floor I blacked out. After that the first thing that I remember was Nigel calling me. That was such a God forsaken place."

"Good. Now, I want to skip forward a day to the next night. Bug and Woody were about to go up the mountain to try the transmitter, but Nigel didn't want him to go. Why was that?"

"Because I was worried. He's my best mate and he had a little girl at home. I didn't want anything to happen to him."

"And then Kate volunteered to go. Why did you feel like it was your responsibility?"

Kate looked regretful.

"I had made him go. I thought I should go because I had less to lose."

"What do you mean?"

"If something had happened, it would have been worse if it happened to him."

Nigel was hurt that Kate would even think that. He had told her on the mountain that even though he had originally said that she should go instead, doesn't mean that he would've felt any better about it. He would've been just as worried.

"Kate, everyone would've been sad if-"

"Cut the crap, Nigel! You and I both know that it would've been worse for everyone if he died! And I'm fine with that. _My friends are here_."

Stiles knew that he just lost Kate again.


	13. Still Single?

Well here's another chapter! Just as a heads up, I'm leaving for New York on Wednesday and won't be back until next Tuesday, so no chapters until a few days after that. I will get another one in before I go, though.

* * *

"You know that's not true!" Nigel slammed the door behind him. Kate threw herself on her bed and sighed.

"What's not true?" she asked with an exasperated tone. She could tell that Nigel was upset, but didn't really care.

"All of that! You saying that we would've cared more if Bug had died! And that all of your friends are here!" Nigel _was_ upset. How could Kate possibly be so stubborn to still think that? He had told her, up on the mountain, that he would've been just as worried about her as he was about Bug.

Kate, however, was also starting to get angry. She didn't like being interviewed like that, and didn't like that Nigel was trying to preach to her again.

"I don't want to here it, Nigel!"

"Well you're going to here it and you're going to stop denying it! Why is it so hard for you to accept the fact that we care about you?! We _are_ your friends, Kate, and that's what friends do!"

Kate had never seen Nigel so aggressive about something and didn't like it at all. She stood up assertively, furious.

"Who the hell are you to be telling me who my friends are?! None of you know anything about me! I am at that morgue for business, not to make friends!"

"What about the morgue here?! They're your friends!"

"That's completely different!"

"How? How is that so different?!"

"They actually understand me! They respect me! _They_ are my family!"

"Well maybe if you were actually _nice_ for a change!

"You want me to be _nice_?! Well let me tell you something, _nice_ is not what I am to people I don't like! And I'm sure as hell not going to change for anyone!" she pushed passed him and headed for the door before he could say anything.

"Kate!"

She stopped and half turned around.

"And you know what, Nigel? As hard as it is for all of you to understand, I do care! I care about _my_ friends, _my_ family, and _my_ morgue! And they're all here!"

The door slammed hard behind her, and Nigel was left to wallow in his anger. He had never met anyone as cold as her, and hoped he never did again.

XXX

Jordan was walking up to her room with coffee when Kate stormed passed her, not really even looking at her. Watching her go, she opened the door to her room, where Woody was waiting.

"Hey!" he said with a smile, eyeing his coffee a little.

"Hey. Do you know what's up with Kate?" she handed him his cup.

"No, but she and Nigel have been going at it. I could hear them from here."

"Well what were they fighting about?"

"Couldn't tell you. I just heard them yelling."

"You're such a big help."

"Hey, I do what I do!" he took a sip and pulled away quickly "Ahh! Hot! Hot!"

Jordan giggled at his face, and waved her coffee around a bit.

"Iced. Ha!"

"You're mean."

"Am I?"

She planted a long kiss on him. He obviously didn't feel the pain from his burn anymore.

"Well, I guess not that mean..."

XXX

Kate didn't stop until she got outside. She hated when anyone tried to tell her how to feel, but never expected it from Nigel. He was usually so gentle, albeit annoying, so this was totally out of the blue. She took a walk, letting the busyness of the streets drown out her thoughts. Eventually she came to a place that had been her home for a long time, and it was a welcomed comfort.

Up on the third floor, where it would always be, was her destination. When the doors opened, she saw that the normal buzz of the morgue was lower than she remembered. Only a few were seated in the lobby and there was no detectives running around. She didn't stop to get a pass, instead just waving to the security guard that remembered her, who gave a polite tip of his hat, and went right in.

Not much had changed since she left. She saw Bruce typing away in his stylish office, Eli was in the lab with various beakers and test tubes, and Jen was doing paperwork at her desk. Kate kept walking through the halls, remembering. She didn't think anyone had seen her yet until a pair of massive arms went around her waist and she felt herself lifted off the ground into a big chest.

"Gotcha!" Donny said happily as he swung her back and forth a little in his hug. Kate laughed, not able to move since he had also trapped her arms by her side.

"Alright, you got me! Now put me down!" she smiled wide as she spoke. Donny just turned around and started walking.

"Nope. Gotta bring you to see everyone first!"

Kate sighed sarcastically and allowed him to carry her all the way back, where he stopped at every office to announce her arrival, ending with Jen. Jen gave them an amused, motherly look, shaking her head and smiling.

"Alright, Donny, put her down before you hurt your back."

He rolled his eyes and gave her one last squeeze before putting her down and walking out with a quick goodbye.

"You're such a mom." said Kate, settling into a chair facing Jen's desk.

"That's because I am the mom. Probably the only reason all of you stay out of trouble."

Kate shrugged in that you-got-me way.

"Hey, what can I say? People are annoying." Jen raised tightened her mouth and gave her another motherly look. "Ok, not _all_ people!"

"Good, because _I_ know that I can't _possibly_ be annoying." she said with a devilish little smile.

"Oh, well aren't you little miss sarcastic!"

They talked about other things, but came to a more important, though uncomfortable, subject.

"And he didn't say anything about it??"

"No! He just sat there. At least Thomas and Jensen tried to tell me."

"What a idiot! Did he really think he could hide it?"

"I don't know." Kate sighed.

"You ok?"

Kate started to get uncomfortable, but it was Jen and she could talk to her about almost anything.

"Yeah, it's just... I missed this place so much."

Jen gave her one of those it's-alright smiles.

"Well, your office is still empty. If the governor let you come back..."

XXX

Kate, Eli, and Bruce decided to go out for ice cream in the park, a thing that they used to do all the time.

"So you got contacts, huh?" she asked when she saw Eli rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah, but they hurt!"

"But they look so much better than your glasses did!" Bruce commented.

"I guess so."

They all sat down on a bench, where Bruce started a heated conversation.

"So, Kate, are you still single?"

The question caught her off guard a bit.

"Uh, yeah. I'm not really looking."

"That's perfect!"

More confusion.

"Uh... why?"

Bruce looked excited.

"Because I've been _dying _to set you up with this guy I know!"

That kind of seemed to hit Kate in the face, and her head was going 'Heeelllll no!'

"Really, Bruce, you don't have to!"

"Too late. I've already asked him if he would want to take you to dinner tonight."

"What?!"

"And he said yes, and that he'll pick you up at the hotel at 7 for a romantic dinner! Isn't it awesome?!"

Kate's death stare was more than enough of an answer.

"You're going to get it now!" Eli said from behind his ice cream.

"I can't go back on my promise now! I told him you'd be there!"

"Bruce!"

"I thought you'd want to go! Aren't you getting tired of being alone, Kate?"

Kate didn't know how to answer that one. She liked being single, and would be fine if she died single, too, but... sometimes it does get a little lonely. So she reluctantly agreed to go.


	14. Not So Perfect

Here it is, as I promised! I leave tomorrow and won't be back until Tuesday, so you'll all just have to wait. It took all afternoon to write this one, since it's so fluffy. It would've been done sooner, but I had to go and get bloodwork at the hospital, YUCK. PLease enjoy! (and of course review)

* * *

Kate was annoyed. Not only was she going on her first blind date in who knows how long, but he was late. She had been waiting in the lobby, black dress and heels, for more than 15 minutes. She didn't even know what the guy looked like, but Bruce needed to be given credit; he had good taste.

Kate sat down on a big, ornate couch in the middle of the room, where she waited. Then the elevator door opened, and out came Lily with a smile to a bellboy. Kate hoped to herself that Lily wouldn't see her, but the way that she sped up in her direction said it was too late.

"Kate!" she said as she walked over.

"Hey, Lily." Kate answered as nicely as she could. Lily sat down next to her.

"I've barely even seen you the entire trip! So what have you-" she spied Kate's outfit, "Oohhhhhh! You're going on a date, aren't you?"

Kate had to fight to hide the smile that wanted to come out from Lily's excited face. She liked Lily, even if they did get off to a bad start.

"Yeah, but I don't know where we're going."

"Well, I'm sure Nigel picked out a great place."

Kate's thoughts grinded to a sudden halt. What?

"Why would he pick a place?" she asked more than a little awkwardly.

Lily's smile faded. Uh-oh. She'd made the fatal flaw of assuming.

"Uh... you mean your date _isn't_ with Nigel?" she winced as she asked.

Kate shook her head.

"No."

"Oh."

A long silence pursued.

"Um..." Kate started, but didn't get anywhere.

"This is a bit awkward, huh?" Lily asked, trying to laugh it off.

"Yeah." Kate said with a forced smile.

"So what's he like?"

"Who?"

"Your date!"

"Oh! Well, um, I actually haven't met him yet."

"A blind date? You never really struck me as someone who'd go for that."

"Yeah I never struck myself, either."

"Do you know his name?"

"Austin. I think he's from upstate or something." Lily nodded with quiet approval, and Kate tried to keep the small talk going, "So what did you come down here for?"

"Oh, a few of us are going to dinner. I think it's just going to be me, Bug, and Jordan, and I'm waiting."

"Ah." Kate nodded slightly. Another awkward silence passed before a question blurted from Kate's mouth. "Why did you think I was going on date with Nigel?"

Lily bit her lip a little in regret.

"Uh... I don't know, I guess since I saw you holding hands on the plane and everything-" she was stopped by the elevator door opening, revealing the late party, but with Nigel thrown into the mix. Lily gave Kate a quick goodbye look and went over to where they were standing. Kate sighed. Something was bothering her. But then she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around.

A tall, handsome man in a nice suit was standing there, a curious smile worn.

"Excuse me, but, would you happen to be Kate Switzer?"

A pleased and playful smile escaped Kate's lips. Bruce had done well.

"I would. You must be Austin."

Kate stood up and shook the offered hand. She could tell by the way he carried himself and polite tone that he was a true gentleman, which was one of her favorite traits in men. He made a mini bow and kissed her hand.

"Austin K., at your service."

Kate giggled, which would have been a shock to everyone she knew, but it was all part of the game to him.

"So where are we going?"

"It's a surprise." he looked at her for a second as she flicked a lock of hair into place and let out a breathe. "You look great!" Oh, yes. Kate liked this one. He offered his arm to escort her out, which she accepted gracefully.

XXX

Nigel was watching, for no reason and yet for everything. He saw her laugh when he said something, and it almost made him bristle. He kept telling himself that there was no reason to be angry, but he couldn't stop feeling it.

She was beautiful, not just because of her dress or hair, but mainly because she let herself look happy, something that he could barely remember ever seeing. She never let anyone in, always being mean or rude to drive them away. But for some reason her facade didn't faze him anymore, instead he wanted to take it down.

When they both walked out together, Nigel saw her turn once, looking at him. He turned away quickly, not wanting her to know he had been watching.

XXX

Austin took her to the Gascogne, a beautiful and expensive French restaurant. The seats were reserved and they were brought to their table immediately. When the waiter came to take orders, Kate impressed her date by ordering in French. And frankly, he impressed her with his deep pockets.

"J'aurai le Foie Chaud Poele au Mascate et le Salade de la Vinaigrette de Mesclun au Champagne. Il wil a l'Epinards d'aux de Farci de Saumon."

"Sera-t-cela tout pour maintenant ?" the waiter asked.

"Oui, merci."

He walked away with the menus in hand. Austin raised his eyebrows.

"You know I always say that there's nothing more beautiful than blue eyes speaking French."

Kate smiled. It had been too long since someone called her beautiful. She picked up her glass, taking a sip, and looking over it.

"So tell me, what do you do?"

"I'm a restaurateur, actually, but I used to be a lawyer." he said with pride.

"Oh? And can I guess which restaurant?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, the answer obvious.

"Yes, this one." he admitted, laughing.

They talked more about other things for the entire meal, seemingly endless in conversation. Kate smiled and laughed the whole time, to the point that her face hurt. When the slow music eventually came on, the request to dance was inevitable. Walking out to the floor, they went with the formal positions. The dance started and they danced without a word, which gave Kate some much needed time to think.

Why did Nigel look at her like that? He had no reason to be bothered by any of this.

But... what if he did?

XXX

It was past 10 before Kate got back to the hotel. When she got to her floor she carried her heels instead of wearing them, which was much more comfortable. Her date was wonderful and entertaining, and he complimented her left and right, but... it still left something to be desired.

She got to her door and slid the key. She went in and Nigel was on his bed, reading something about Jack the Ripper. When he heard her come in he looked up.

"How was your date?" he asked, hiding any hostility in his tone. Kate was still left in an uncomfortable position to answer.

"Um... it was ok, I guess." She got some clothes and went into the bathroom, coming out in pjs. She became curious in his book. "What're you reading?"

"It's called 'History of Jack the Ripper', but I can't make anything out in the pictures."

"Let me see." Kate sat down next to him, and he handed her the book. After a minute or so, "Well, you can obviously tell that the abdomen was practically ripped out."

"Yeah, I know that. What I'm looking for is any indication of what kind of weapon he used!"

Kate gave him a face.

"What's with the attitude?"

Nigel closed the book hard and got up.

"What attitude?"

Kate got up too and stepped close to him, in his face.

"The one that you've given me ever since I came back! I walk in..."

XXX

"Hey Jordan! You gotta come and listen to this!"

Jordan looked over and found Woody with his ear to the wall.

"What?" she asked, walking over.

"Kate and Nigel are fighting again! Sounds like Kate's angry because Nigel's angry."

"Ooh!" Jordan bent down and stuck her ear next to Woody's.

XXX

"Who are you to say that I have an attitude?! You walk around ready to kill everyone all the time!"

"That's because everyone pisses me off! But as soon as I come back from a date, you start mouthing off!" Realization swept over her face. "You're jealous!"

Nigel was still angry, but now mixed with a little nervous.

"I am _not_ jealous! Why would I be jealous of a pompous bloke like that?!"

"Austin is not pompous! He's the biggest gentleman I've met in years, unlike you!"

"Well I'm sorry that I'm not incredible and can't take you on the perfect date!"

"It was not a perfect date! Yes, he was kind and gentle" Kate's voice got softer, and Woody and Jordan strained to hear. "complimenting, polite, smart. _He_ was perfect."

Nigel looked very confused.

"Wait, what?"

Kate sighed, figuring out what she'd been feeling the whole time.

"I don't like perfect. I mean, we got along great and shared the same interests, but... perfect is so boring!" she saw a hint of a smile on Nigel's face, and she followed with a bigger one, "And honestly, I have a more fun fighting with you at the morgue."

Nigel's smile got huge and he laughed a little. Kate didn't know what to think yet; Nigel did that to her a lot. But she did know the reasons for Nigel getting jealous and her dislike of her date. Somewhere, along the crazy, weird, and sometimes very annoying road called the Boston City Morgue, she had let her guard down just a little without even knowing it. And it turned out that that little bit was enough for Nigel to sneak right in. He showed her that perfect doesn't define a friendship or anything that comes after that, because it was the differences that made it all interesting.

She got up on her tip toes, and very gently, kissed his cheek, her way of thanking him for being her friend.

Nigel tingled when he felt her kiss him. He wasn't as confused as Kate about how he felt, though. But Kate Switzer? The pushy, prickly woman that he couldn't get through an hour without fighting with? Well, if he knew anything, it's that this was going to be a wild ride.

When Kate pulled away and went back down, she suddenly, and unexpectedly, felt Nigel grab her arm and pull her back up, into a longer, deeper kiss where it was supposed to be, on the lips. Her hands moved to his chest and his to her back and waist, until they finally pulled apart, breathing a little heavier.

And for once, Kate wasn't pissed off or bored.

XXX

"What happened?" Woody whispered.

"I don't know, I can't hear anything!"

"Do you think she killed him or something?" Jordan gave him a look and hit him on the shoulder, "Ow! What was that for?"

"You were being annoying. I fixed it."

"That doesn't mean you can hit." he said in a parental tone.

"Oh, so you want to know what it does mean? First..."

XXX

Nigel was quiet for a second and listened.

"What?" Kate asked.

"Woody and Jordan are going at it!" Kate hit him lightly on the arm. "I mean fighting!"

She just rolled her eyes and put her head back on his chest.


	15. Game On!

This is definitely the hardest chapter I've ever written! I've never been on a soccer team and I don't know anything about how the games go, so I had to leave a lot to your mind's eye to picture it. Sorry for such a long wait, too. I would've finished it last night, but I got to go to a Rays game.

* * *

"Kathryn Elizabeth! Where are my hair ties?!"

"How would I know, Talie?!"

"You used one yesterday!"

"Well I put them back!"

"Where?!"

"In your bag!"

"Where in my bag?!"

"Right up your...!"

Kate was used to the fighting that frequently broke out in the locker room, and the fact that the first game was that day didn't make a difference. She started to get suited up; uniform, shin guards, ect. Just when she was about to get on her cleats and go warm up, Amber walked up and pointed to the door.

"There's a guy here to see you." she said quizzically. Kate gave her a smile and got up.

"Thanks."

She wondered what Nigel would come here for, especially right before the game. As Kate walked to the door, she could feel some of the curious eyes in the room following her. She turned her head towards them and shot them a warning look, all of them going back to what they were doing before. Kate couldn't let them see Nigel again; the excitement would be too much if he opened his mouth.

But when she opened the door, there was no happy Brit to wish her luck with a kiss.

Only Steve.

Kate's good mood immediately turned black. Her face went cold and her body language screamed ticked.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she growled.

"I'm sorry, ok? I just got so angry the other night, and..." he shrugged, "I don't know."

No change in Kate.

"And?"

"And..." he paused. Kate was seething. "and I want to give us a second tr-" Kate swung hard, landing her fist on his jaw, knocking him to the floor. His head hit hard, and he blacked out. She wanted to kill him, but walked back into the locker room, where she found all of the girls watching intently. They didn't turn away when they saw that she had caught them, instead waiting for her to say something.

"He's still wearing a ring." she said curtly, walking back to her bag and getting ready. Everyone slowly started to disperse.

"Bastard." Julia muttered in his direction, not the only one to curse him out loud.

XXX

"Ready ladies?" Nervous nods all around. "Ok." Kate waited for the signal, which came in a loud, resonating voice.

"NOW... LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR OUR OWN, AND FORMER CHAMPIONS,... THE NEW YORK CITY FALCONS!"

Kate pushed open the doors to the field, running in the front of her team out to the middle of the field where the ref was waiting. They stopped next to him.

"AND NOW... THE REIGNING CHAMPIONS... THE DALLAS JETS!"

The rival team ran out, Cassandra front and center. The ref looked at both teams.

"Captains, shake hands!" he ordered. Kate and Cassandra stepped forward and shook, both with vice like grips. The blonde and brunette exchanged distinct glares, but they had a faint resemblance. Competitive and evil smiles soon came on.

"You ready, cus?" Kate asked before letting go.

"Let's just say that if I were you..." she took her hand away, "I'd just hope for anything _other_ than a replay of last year."

And with that, the game was on.

XXX

Nigel, Bug, Lily, Jordan, Woody, Garrett, and even Stiles had come, unknowingly to Kate, of course.

"Why wouldn't she tell us that she was on a soccer team?" Lily asked in general as they all found seats in the very front row. Nigel shrugged.

"You know Kate. Never wants anyone to know anything."

They watched the introductions, complete proof of Kate's involvement. Soon the game began, with both teams evenly matched at first. Neither goalie was letting anything through, nor were the forwards letting up. But then, with a quick turn, Kate got past a defensive player and was able to show off a little as she made a swift kick into the net.

"YEAH! GO FALCONS!" Nigel yelled, standing up. Woody and Bug gave him odd looks, and he sat down. "What? I can't cheer?" Bug, who was already in a bad mood from catching a cold, rolled his eyes and blew his nose.

Stiles, who was sitting between Garrett and Lily, was watching the game as he would any other, but keeping an eye on Kate. He was trying to see how much of herself Kate put on the field, deciding if this was a good outlet for her anger.

Lily, in the meantime, was having a bit of a hard time. There was a woman sitting behind her with a crying baby, which all the while reminded her of Maddie. She leaned on Bug's shoulder.

"I miss Madelyn."

Bug held her hand, and kissed her forehead.

"Me too. But I'm sure Jeffery's taking good care of her."

Their attention was thrown back to the game when Cassandra, also a forward, had gotten the ball past Emi and Rebecca, moving on to Julia. Right when Julia was about to steal the ball, Cassandra kicked it to another player, who was able to score on Erica.

Half time came almost immediately after the goal had been made, so both teams retreated to the benches. Natalie and Alexis did their usual ranting to the whole team, but everyone had learned to ignore them a long time ago.

No blame was passed during the break. That only makes things worse, anyways.

When the second half finally started, the tension was doubled. With the score tied, the next goal could likely decide who's going to the Championships. Countless times the ball was stolen, dribbled, and blocked; and never going into the net.

"Ten minutes, ladies!" Kate yelled to her team. Most were breathing hard, exhausted, but all gave a thumbs-up.

Kate got the ball, running hard towards the goal. She was stopped by the same player that she got past last time, and she wouldn't be fooled by the same move. A quick look over her shoulder, and Kate swung her leg as if to kick hard, causing the other player to tense. But her leg went over the ball instead of hitting it, coming back and kicking it with her heel backwards between her legs, right to Katy. Katy went forward, passing to Payton in front of her. Payton made a powerful kick, and it was like slow motion as everyone watched the goalie make a desperate lunge for the ball, missing by a few inches.

The crowd cheered wildly, standing and waving flags. The timer went off, and the game was over.

XXX

Back in the locker room there was screaming, laughing, hugging, and jumping from all the girls.

"WE'RE GOING TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP!" Kate yelled, and more screaming erupted.

XXX

The loud screaming made Steve stir. He opened his eyes a little, realizing he was on the floor. And when he looked up, an old janitor was looking down at him with a raised eyebrow, with almost a fatherly disappointed look. The janitor just shook his head and mopped around him.


	16. Stories

This was one of the easier chapters to write, but moderately hard at the same time. Easy, not because of the actual words that I'm typing, but because I'm sitting here alone, eating cookies with my favorite Crystal Light mix and chick flicks going on the tv. The one right now is The Lake House, a classic. I'm hoping that The Notebook is coming next. It's hard because, well, you try to write while you have cookies and chick flicks! Haha, well, please enjoy. :)

* * *

Kate was giddy for the first time in a long, long while. Giddy, for her, was the feeling you get that's one step past happy, when anything funny in the world could make you laugh so hard that you had to sit down.

She was heading up to her hotel room, even though she knew that she would never be able to sleep. The excitement, from the game, from Nigel... from _everything_ was threatening to overthrow her hard physic that had been built up so long ago.

Opening the door and squeezing herself with all of her bags through the doorway, there was Nigel, finishing up his book. When he heard her come in he marked his page before putting it down.

"Hey! How'd it go, luv?" he said, and got up to help her put her bags away. She rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Like you don't know! How was I supposed to miss a tall, British accent standing in the front row?"

Nigel's cheeks went just the slightest shade of pink.

"Well, I ... everyone wanted to come, and..."

Kate's stare told him to stop, but he could tell that she wasn't angry. She walked over with a small grin and buried her face in his chest with a hug. So he just returned it and enjoyed the moment. But then she pulled her head away to get a better look at something on the table.

"What's that?" She walked over to the white box and lifted the lid, then half turned and gave Nigel a look. He just shrugged happily.

"The whole gang pitched in. We thought that since you didn't get a trophy, you should at least get a cake!"

XXX

Like she had thought before, Kate couldn't sleep. She had been laying in bed for hours and was only able to think, something that if you do too much of, it either gets weird or sad. And for her, at least that night, it was both.

She had trouble believing that Christine didn't leave something behind, something that would tell everyone what she wanted them to do. She wasn't the kind of person to leave things unsaid. So Kate got up and dressed, then, remembering last time, wrote Nigel a note. It was still dark when she made it down to the street and hailed a cab.

XXX

Kate shut the door of the cab and let it drive away from behind her. She didn't move for a few moments because she had to psych herself up for what she was about to do. Eventually she started to reprimand herself for being so sensitive. So she forced her feet to walk, down the pathway, up the stairs, and finally stopping at the front door.

_'Come on come on come on!' _she thought. Digging in her pocket and pulling out the key, she put it into the lock and twisted. The door opened with a _chunk _and Kate gingerly felt for a light switch. But when she found one and flipped it up, nothing happened.

_'Duh! The power's been off for years!' _But she lucked out and bumped into a table that had a flashlight on it, which she had to retrieve from the floor after it fell.

Christine's house was extremely customized for the little time that she actually spent there. Even in the run down state that it was in now, anyone could tell that it was stylish when in it's prime. But now all of the furniture was covered and the cleaners had removed most of the carpet in the living room. Kate made her way through the small house, eventually finding and lighting some of the candles that Christine loved to burn. Christine could've afforded a bigger house, but she detested cleaning. Kate was surprised to see that the old litter box was still in the corner, though empty. Christine had had a cat and dog, Dusty and Sparky. Sparky, a beagle, had grown old during his stay up there, and Christine had taken his death hard. So she depended on Dusty, a big, fluffy, white cat with blue eyes and the tips of his fur tinted gray, hence his name. Kate had tried to take him in afterwards, but he escaped within a month. "He's wild at heart." Christine would say.

Kate made her way into the bedroom, because that would've been the most likely place to find anything. The dresser and shelves were covered with books and jewelry boxes and the small trinkets that Christine had loved so much. The collection made the room odd, being among it mounted bull horns, a poetry trophy, a stack of National Geographic magazines, an old English style horse bridle, a crystal the size of your fist, and a small shell chandelier a few inches across, to name a few. No one was able to find any family to take anything, so it all stayed, left to gather dust alone. Kate didn't know the story of most of them, but Christine had told her about a few of them.

The horns came from North Carolina, and the crystal, right outside. The bridle was from her childhood, when her parents had decided that riding lessons would help with her depression, something that Christine denied she ever had. Her instructor had given it to her only a few months before she quit. But even though Christine had walked away from it, she said it was only because she didn't want to keep entering competitions, which had proven to not be as fun as she had been told. But she did accredit some things to all those Saturday mornings in the saddle.

"It taught me how to carry myself... and made me stronger, I guess, but mostly physically. Kinda teaches respect, too." she said once.

The poetry trophy had disappointed her, and Kate wondered why she still had it out. The company that had issued it to her had turned out to be a crock, accepting anything with words in it. Kate was surprised when Christine had let her read the poem-which she knew was only one of many- because she normally wouldn't let anyone that could personally voice an opinion or compliment even know she was writing.

_Inside this cloud, such a heavenly sight,_

_are minuscule shimmers of vapor and light._

_Forever they dance, water and air,_

_together they form a wondrous pair._

_Today they shall move, as never before,_

_cannot be explained, but cannot be ignored._

_Forth they will go, away from this place,_

_leaving the sky with naught but a trace._

Kate knew that Christine had become ashamed of the poem soon after the trophy arrived, considering it far too simple and amateur. But Kate felt that the second half, mainly the last two lines, explained her friend at least a little.

The shell chandelier story was one of Kate's favorites. When Christine was little, she went on a school field trip to a large, tropical garden. In the gift shop, the only thing that caught her eye was the chandelier, but she couldn't even pay for half of it. But then a woman with silver hair and big glasses came up and asked how much money she had.

"I told her, and then she asked how much I needed. I told her, and before I could ask why she wanted to know, she put the money in my hand and asked if I would take care of it. I didn't really answer because I was confused, but she must have thought that I nodded because she walked away. Turns out, that lady worked at the cash register."

Though Christine didn't normally talk much, it often depended on whether she thought the person was genuinely listening. But one night when Kate was over to escape the stress of the city for an hour or two, she unexpectedly starting telling stories, but always leaving names out.

Kate sighed. She missed listening to her going on about where things came from, where things were. The whole place now possessed a cold aura about it, as if the occupants took all of the warmth with them. Kate brushed aside cobwebs that were blocking her way, but she tripped and bumped against the bed, which in turn bumped against the wall next to the window.

_Thonk! _

"What the-?" Kate said to herself. She walked over and carefully leaned over the bed, banging the wall in a straight line.

Three feet away from the window.

_Thump!_

Two feet away.

_Thump!_

One foot.

_Thonk!_

It sounded hollow! Kate couldn't see anything on the outside, so she tore the plywood board away from the window, where she found out that the sun had started to rise. Kate ran her fingers along the molding on the side of the window. She felt a crack. Then, after taking a good look, she pulled at the molding and a segment about eight inches long came off in her hand, revealing a hole. And the hole wasn't empty.


	17. Words To Remember

Thanks for waiting so long for an update, and sorry that it's such a short one. I originally had a lot more and a lot better little lines of poetry, but I removed most because I was afraid that someone would steal them and claim them as their own. I can tell you, that would have SUCKED since I wrote all of them (not that these are what I would call my pride and joy). Anyway, please enjoy!

* * *

Kate shot back as an angry bug flew out of the hole, as if it had been waiting to be released. She let out a little shriek; bug's not being her specialty and all. But once she was sure that her tormentor had flown out the window, Kate snuck a glance into the hole again.

Inside, even with the rays of sun starting to peek through the trees, it was dark enough to make Kate have to wait for her eyes to adjust. But finally she was able to make out a thin outline of something about six inches inside. Dreading the idea of sticking her hand in a dark hole, which she now knew was bug-infested, she none the less grabbed it quickly, giving the prize and her arm a bit of a frantic shake in case there were any hitchhikers.

It was a book. Just a small, brown, leather book with a knob-and-loop clasp. Kate gingerly sat down on the old bed, examining the outside of what could be an old journal of Christine's. It would make sense if she had one, with all the times she probably wanted to say something but had no one to listen, and probably things that she never wanted anyone to know. It had regal detailing stamped unto the leather, which was also on the brass knob. The fabric band attached to the back of the book that was hooked around the knob to keep the book closed was plain black and probably concealed elastic, although that was probably worn out by then.

Kate fumbled trying to open it, not wanting to snap the band. But when she finally managed to open the book, she was greeted by dated entries, not many longer than a page. None of them really said anything about what had happened that day, but rather seemed like she was merely writing down her thoughts as they came, jumping from subject to subject without noticeable reason in her neat cursive. Kate stopped at the last one.

_November 26, 2006_

_The world's depressing tonight. I remember when I was little, and how much I just wanted to discover something new, but... what's left for me? They've been to the top of Everest and the bottom of the oceans, into every jungle and across every desert. What am I supposed to do, with nothing secret out there waiting for me? It's always interesting to me when I hear people say how much they hate the rain. I love it... though not when it's super cold and I have to run across the parking lot to my car! I think if everyone just listened to the thunder more, how something so big can be going on right above us and yet we push it to the side like something completely plain. I think that's why I live so far away from everyone else. They're just so close-minded. Even Kate. But I think she only acts that way, because I've caught her just looking out the window, watching and listening, when she's gotten stuck here during a storm. I'm not completely sure why she makes herself seem that way, or what percentage of it is real. I won't ask, though. She'd tell me if she wanted me to know._

Kate couldn't believe it. Not the fact that Christine felt like she could act as heartlessly as everyone else, but because she seemed to think that it was fake. How could she be fake? She said whatever came to her mind most of the time, and never really cared what other people thought... but was it possible, that maybe, sometimes, people can forget who they are and be who people expect them to be without knowing it?

Even though that was the last entry, it was only a third of the way into the book. So Kate flipped through the pages until she found more writing, this time just a few sentences scrawled unto each page, separated by a couple lines.

_Writing is like artfully playing with your reader's heart./perception of reality._

_Friends are different than family because we can get sick of our family. Friends are different than family because family always stays just that._

_They think I'm wrong because they don't understand me._

It went on for pages, many with various drafts and different forms underneath it. Kate knew that she didn't have enough time to read all of them, so she carefully closed the book and put it aside as she replaced the molding and plywood board to the window. Then, tucking it under her arm, she picked her way out of the house, blowing out candles as she went. She knew she'd be back someday, but for now, this was enough.

She did pause though, as she walked on the carpetless parts of the floor, which had to be stripped because of the blood stains. Kate quickly forced that horrible memory away.

We she got outside, she thought about calling a cab. But, instead, she decided to do something that Christine would've liked. Taking a deep breath of the fresh air she couldn't get back home, she began to walk, until she hit the old gas station where she would then call a cab.

But for now, she flipped open Christine's book. She'd start at the beginning.


	18. Uh Oh

I'm sorry about another super cliffy ending, but I'm very rushed and I couldn't write any longer. I'm leaving for Washington D.C. tomorrow and won't be back for a fe days. So enjoy please!

* * *

"Kate! Hey, I got your message, luv." said Nigel as he walked up.

Kate rolled her eyes a bit at him calling her 'luv', but scooted over to give him room to sit down next to her. The old bench creaked a little when he did, putting his arm over her shoulders, a habit he was starting to form. But Kate didn't mind.

"I hope I didn't make you worry when I left. I just... needed to try to figure it out." she lifted the open book a little from her lap. Nigel looked at it curiously.

"What's that? And where did you go this morning, anyway?" Nigel asked, but made sure not to sound anxious to know. Kate looked down at the book.

"I, uh, went to an old friend's house. This is her journal."

Nigel furrowed his brow a little.

"Huh. That's a bit of an odd gift. You'd think she'd want to keep it."

Kate smiled a little.

"She did. So much so that she hid it inside a wall." This time Nigel just looked completely thrown off. Kate decided to fill him in. "She's, um... she's been missing for 2 years now." She glanced up at Nigel, who's face had spiraled from confused to unbelievably sad. _That's Nigel, _she thought, _doesn't even have to know the person to feel bad about it._

"I'm sorry." he said quietly. _No wonder she's been acting so strange lately. _

For awhile they didn't talk. The park was crowded with mothers pushing strollers and people walking dogs. Kate remember how Christine always went here when something was bothering her, even if she rarely talked about it. But they would still sit there, just watching. It was funny, how much time they spent together there yet talked so little. The bench had eventually turned into a sort of therapy session for Christine's friends, which was mainly the team. She and Kate would occasionally bring one or two of them there to recoup from whatever was bothering them, with Katy making the most trips for heartaches. Kate wondered if any of them ever came there anymore.

"You know what always made me laugh about Christine?" she said suddenly, not waiting for Nigel to answer. "It was the fact that even though she was usually so mellow, so calm, if you so much as said her name from across the room without her knowing you were there, she would still almost have a heart attack! Never seen anyone so jumpy." She was looking at Nigel now, who started to laugh softly.

"She sounds funny." he said. Kate nodded. Nigel didn't really know what to say next, but the morgue had given him some practice with this kind of thing. "Christine is a pretty name."

Kate smiled again.

"Yeah. You know, one of my niece's was named after her."

Nigel eyebrows went _way _up.

"I didn't know you had a niece!"

"Two." she pointed out, raising two fingers as well. "Twins. Teresa and Christine. Ben, my brother, decided to name one after her since he believes that she saved them." she explained in a happy yet he's-so-silly way.

"How?"

"Stopped Sophie, his wife, from falling in the subway a few days after they found out. That's how we met her."

Nigel had one of his biggest smiles on. It would have normally annoyed her, but this wasn't normal circumstances.

XXX

As Nigel walked with Kate back through the park, he thought about everything she had told him. She described her as a quiet woman who had the occasional bubbly or hyper bursts, liked being outside, and loved her pets like children (even though she clearly didn't care for human babies). Kate had flipped through the book and picked out her favorite tidbits of writing for him, and he had to say that he was impressed. Christine was obviously a very deep thinker.

But he didn't want Kate to dwell in her memories for much longer; he could see that it made her a bit sad. So he suggested to them to go and meet her other friends at the NYC morgue. Kate smiled and raised a brow at him.

"Oh, so you want to be introduced, huh?"

"No! I just thought it would be nice for you to see your old friends again."

"...ok." she said happily, deciding not to tell him that she had already gone to see them. But there was a twinge of worry that she didn't reveal.

XXX

Up on the third floor, it was remarkably busier than it had been the other day. They had to stop to get Nigel a pass, and as they were waiting at the desk, Kate felt two sharp tugs on her ponytail and the signature "HONK HONK!" She spun around to see the form of her high school nemesis running on his lanky chicken legs.

"THOMAS!"

XXX

Bruce was doing tests in the lab, humming 'Circus' to himself. He was so used to it, that he didn't even think twice when he heard Kate yell at Thomas, one of the detectives, and then a loud laugh from Jensen, another detective, as Kate probably chased after Thomas while aiming kicks at his shins.

Wait...

XXX

"Thomas! How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?!" yelled Kate, not caring that the whole room was now watching and laughing at the antics that they had missed so much.

"Mwuahahahahahahahahahaha!" he yelled back, running in circles around her. Jensen was dying in the corner, and Nigel was deciding if it was safe to laugh or not.

Kate grabbed at Thomas' shirt, but missed. So she decided to just get Nigel's pass and go in, but was stopped by another familiar voice, though this one was welcome.

"Kate!"

Bruce came over and gave her a hug, dying to ask a few questions.

"So??"

"So... what?"

"How'd the date go?! Wasn't he awesome?!"

"Oh." Kate cleared her throat a little and heard Nigel shift uncomfortably behind her. "Yeah, he was fine, I guess."

"Fine?! What are you-" Bruce stopped when he saw Kate flicking her eyes toward a very tall man standing behind her. Bells of excitement went off in his head, completely forgetting about Austin.

"Bruce, this is Nigel. Nigel," she turned to him and gave him an apologetic look. "this is Bruce. He's a criminologist, too."

"Pleasure." said Nigel, holding out his hand.

"Same." Bruce replied, shaking it.

It was then that Jensen came over, with Thomas somewhat in tow. He and Kate were relatively close friends, it's just that their first meeting so far hadn't really been a good one.

"Hey Kate!"

"Hey!" Kate gave him a hug too, but just gave Thomas a look in return of his "Wassup!" Though she'd never tell him this, Kate always had to repress big smiles when Thomas messed around with her, even the hair pulling.

After more introductions had been made, Jensen quietly asked Kate if he could talk to her privately. Once they were a little ways away, and Nigel was talking avidly to Bruce about tracing different substances, Jensen sounded a little worried.

"Well, I guess the first thing I wanted to say was I'm sorry, Kate. You know, for the other night?"

"Don't worry about it. None of it was your fault. And besides, you were actually the one that wanted me to know about him being engaged. He didn't have the decency to do that himself."

Jensen smiled at that before becoming more serious again.

"See that's the other thing." he glanced over his shoulder. "Steve is on his way here now to work on a case, and he's not in a good mood. He's been having trouble with his fiancé, and if he sees you here with this other guy, he might get edgy." Jensen had started to speak in a rush, as if expecting to see Steve walking through the door any moment. As much as Kate wanted to go in and smack Steve again, she knew that Jensen was right. Steve's jealousy extended beyond the breakup.

Kate sighed.

"Ok. Thanks." she gave Jensen another hug before starting back towards Nigel.

"Oh, and you played a good game!" Jensen called after her. She returned him a big smile.

When she got back to Bruce and Nigel, it seemed that their conversation had intensified.

"Nigel?" she cut in politely. "We have to go."

"Ah, but we were just debating on the Anthrax Killer! You know, some say tha-"

"No, but you can tell me on the way back to the hotel, but now we have to go!"

"Ok, ok." he replied, seeing Kate's serious expression. They said their goodbyes to Bruce and Thomas, though Kate's 'goodbye' to Thomas was punching his shoulder as she walked by. They waited for the elevator to come, and Nigel asked why they had to leave so quickly. "I'll tell you later." was all Kate said, but as the elevator doors opened, she realized that she's have to tell him a lot sooner.

"Kate? What are you doing here?"

Kate glared straight at him and used her steeliest voice.

"Hello, Lieutenant."


	19. Change and Shame

I guess reveiws from new readers can really kick you back into gear.

* * *

Kate sighed to herself and grimaced. This was exactly what she was trying to avoid.

Not only was Steve standing right in front of her, but Nigel was standing right behind her. Karma sucks.

"What are you doing here?" Steve repeated, nothing short of bluntly. Kate bristled.

"Visiting." She had to keep the conversation short or she was likely to start loosing some control. It felt like everyone in the room was watching the drama play out like a T.V. show.

Thankfully, mercifully, Steve didn't say anything, just grunted and walked around, not even taking notice of the tall man accompanying his ex.

Kate shot a quick glance behind her before charging unto the elevator, Nigel in tow, where she could almost see Jensen start to relax a tad. She had to smile just a little bit, it was nice to have people like him and Bruce as friends.

The doors closed with a _clunk._

XXX

"What was that all about?" Nigel asked as the elevator went down. Kate seemed to be in one of her moods again.

"We can call him an old acquaintance." she sighed. Nigel decided not to ask anymore about it. After all, Kate can have a habit of making people angry.

XXX

"Hey, guys."

"Hey." several girls answered as Kate walked into the locker room. Now that they had the Championships to go to in two days, they had to get as much practice as they could without wearing themselves out. Some of their own team superstition was that you can't practice the day before the biggest game of the season, instead going out to do something as a team. But for now, they had to focus.

"Everyone ready?" she asked once she thought that everyone was changed. There were nods all around, so they headed out to the field and started practice.

Afterward, the only question being asked was what they were going to do the next day. Nobody could seem to agree on anything; dancing, clubbing, shopping, hiking, swimming, nothing suited everyone. Kate decided that she would just sit quietly as she changed back, and let the girls decide on their own. She was eventually joined by Emi, she being the quieter type and not caring much as to what they do. Emi sighed once she sat down in her aloof sort of way. Kate turned to look at her, knowing that was a way Emi started conversations.

"What?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"I'm upset." she said matter of factly.

"Why?"

"My _favorite_ show was canceled!" again in her aloof voice.

"Which one?" Kate was smiling now.

"Demitri Martin! That was like the bestest show in the world!" Emi's eyes got big with overly dramatic disappointment, but was smiling at the same time.

"Aren't there any other shows that you love?" Kate asked.

"No…" she sounded dejected and playful at the same time, then perked up as an idea hit her, "But I know what show they should have on TV!!"

"What?" Kate braced herself for the answer.

"WALRUSES WEARING BANANA HAMMOCKS WHILE POLE DANCING!!!!"

There was silence in the room.

Nobody really moved.

Nobody really knew what to say.

Rebecca and Kate were the first to laugh. Then, all at once, the room exploded into laughter, not that the idea was necessarily _funny, _but that it was so wonderfully, randomly, Emi; Mellow one second, absolutely insane the next.

Christine would've laughed at that, Kate thought. Thinking of that made her stop laughing.

XXX

Nigel lifted the book closer to his face.

Maybe just a peak.

No. It would be utterly rude.

But what would it hurt?

Kate.

But she didn't have to know.

She'll find out.

How? Lifting prints?

She's not above that.

He groaned. Conscience vs. Curiosity. Great.

But finally, slowly, he let the journal fall open in his hands as he sat on the bed in the hotel room. He just wanted to know a bit more, just a bit.

Nigel knew it was stupid to think that maybe… just maybe… he could…

No, the case was years old, and he didn't have anything but a summary of what happened.

But he read anyway, trying to absorb as much as he could, learning. And he learned many things.

Christine had had a sister. And a mom. Though not much was said about either of them, what was there were hints that she and her sister did not see eye to eye as much as her mother. Her sister sounded judgmental, and her mother, compassionate.

So then he tried to find a mention of her father, but the only thing he found was in a two-line entry dated a few years back.

"_Why she kept forgiving him, I'll never know. But what I do know is that I never will."_

That was all it said; no clue, no hint. Sometimes people seemed cruel in the way that they wanted anyone to know anything without working for it. But he decided it was best to let it go; no sense in trying to find something that wasn't there. Then he flipped to another page at random, landing at one near the front. It had a large entry:

"_I've changed so much. Sometimes I look in the mirror and I have to question if that's really me staring back._

_My hair is darker now. The only remaining evidence to my former blonde is a gold colored streak near the front, popping out against the surrounding weathered bronze color. I've learned to control it now, the skimpy waves and frizz replaced by curves and curls that fall around my face, a frame. But it wasn't all my doing, I can tell that my hair itself calmed down, not as angry with me as it had been before._

_I'm more muscular, stronger than most women I know, with the exception being Julia. I've lost weight, too, making it hard to find shirts that fit my waistline and D cups. My thighs have gone down to size 2-4, but my hips have stayed vehemently at a 6, making jeans shopping more like a hunt. Add all of that up with being only average height of 5'5", and you could say that I look, well, not normal. But I like it._

_Seems like the only thing that's stayed the same is my eyes. Still the same gold from a distance, but revealing actually hazel up close. They're weird to say the least. The background in them is almost green, but there's a ring of copper going directly around the middle, the same distance from the edge and the middle, dispersing quickly making only visible up close. That made them their gold hue, but they were accentuated by the dark, almost black, ring around the edge of the iris, something I find strange and exciting." _

Wow, Nigel thought, that was the most she talked about any one thing as far as he'd seen. But it felt like she was talking more to herself, trying to convince herself that that really was her in the mirror. He flipped that page to see if there was more, and there was.

"_I'm proud. And ashamed. Ashamed of the pride._

_I used to always say that I didn't care what I looked like, and that was true. But now (understand how painful it is for me to say) I think I do… too much. I catch myself fixing my hair too often, wondering what to wear to much. And even worse, a thing that kills me, shakes me to my core… I've caught myself judging. Judging on the way others look, instead of the way they look at me. How could I have sunk this low, just because of how I look? _

_I'm so ashamed."_

Nigel closed the book, now embarrassed at what he had done. There were things in this journal meant for no one to know, personal things that were never supposed to see the light of day, much less a stranger's eyes.

He quickly replaced the book into where he had taken it.

He was ashamed now, too.


	20. Long Time Gone

This is my parting chapter. I probably won't write again. This is based on the Dixie Chicks song "Long Time Gone". I think it fits.

* * *

"Kate? Are you almost ready yet? We have to check out in 10 minutes."

"Yeah, yeah. Almost there." Kate answered.

It was hard to believe. They were going to be on a plane in a few hours, heading back to Boston, to go back as it had always been… except with one difference. Bug had freaked a little when he got the full extent of her and Nigel, but would get over it eventually.

It was over, the trip… the game. She couldn't get the faces of her teammates out of her head. Would they have acting anywhere near that if the outcome had been contrary?

The memory kept crawling back into her mind's eye, blocking out everything until it ended, just how it did in real life, except that no one watched when it was inside her head.

XXX

The little lights from the cameras in the stands flashed and twinkled, but Kate couldn't let it get to her.

They were all tied, believe it or not, just like the last game. But it was more personal this time, thanks to the grudges that just don't go away until you prove a point.

It was chaos in the field. Everyone willed their legs to move faster, praying that the ball would obey their commands. Block, swing, feint, steal. It kept going.

She saw Cassandra get the ball and start moving down the field. Kate ran forward and blocked her path with Julia to her right and Katy to her left. Kate had to smile to herself; the strength and the agility, complimenting each other. Cassandra now looked like she was searching for an escape route. Kate flashed looks at Katy and Julia; they had practiced this before.

Her flanks backed away, Katy to the side, Julia straight back. Cassandra's dark eyes shot a curious glance, but unknowingly took the bait anyway.

She dashed forward, going for the large gap between Kate and Katy. When she got close, instead of rushing to stop her, Kate backed away and let Katy run towards her at full speed. Cassandra saw it, and immediately ran back in front of Kate, getting away.

Until Julia showed up. She didn't have to move an inch, just staying where she was and bracing herself. Cassandra hadn't seen her, smacking into Julia with a force that knocked her to her feet, though leaving Julia standing.

Kate was beaming when she took the now-free ball and sprinted to the other end of the field.

The rest was staring to turn more blur in her mind until she got to the memory of seeing the faces of her teammates, beaming and screaming and some crying. The Championship was theirs again.

She could also remember looking over at the other team, the hate that was in a lot of the faces as they were forced by sportsmanship to come over and congratulate. When Kate got to Cassandra, she held her hand in the shake for a second longer.

"See you at Christmas?"

Cassandra managed a stiff smile, but had a little glimmer in her eyes.

"Rematch in Uncle O'Neil's backyard?" she asked playful and evil.

"I get Briley this year."

"Fine. But Connor's 6 now. He'll beat his big sister no problem."

They both flashed smiles that were hinting anticipation and something that could be summed up as familial feelings.

With everything happening, Kate never noticed the flash of silver around a neck in the distance. Along the side of that neck was a scar that carried down the back, into the shirt.

XXX

Stiles had asked everyone what they wanted to do with the extra hour until they needed to be at the airport. Most voted for the park, so loaded into taxes and headed off.

Nigel stayed with Woody, Jordan, and Garrett while Kate slunk away to her bench, where she closed her eyes and breathed in the cooling end-of-the-summer air.

There was almost too much to think about. How she was leaving again… how she would miss everyone… what exactly would change once she got back?…

The bench creaked and bowed suddenly, strained with extra weight. Kate didn't open her eyes, knowing that it was either Nigel or just a stranger.

A faint perfume drifted over to her on a breeze. It was simple, sweet… familiar.

Just before Kate opened her eyes, she heard the voice. It sang out, clear and strong, but gentle.

"Congrats. Ya'll played a good game. Oh, and don't worry about Dusty, I found him prowling around the woods at the house." she paused, and Kate, in a daze, threw her arms around her. "What? Didn't think I was coming back, huh? It's gonna take a lot more than a little cut to get rid of me, ya know." There was a smile in her voice, but Kate's was only a joyful sob.

* * *

Most of the new characters in the story are real, as I have said before. Most were part of my graduating class.

Emi and Payton are really the only ones I talk to now, since they go to high school with me. I haven't seen Erica, Julia, Thomas, Jensen, or Cailtin since graduation day.

Some I miss and some I don't. Thier characters were sort of a tribute to the ones that I do miss.


End file.
